Kulturkampf

[benji]

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c937wldkkw8o

A shadow industry of law firms and advisers is charging thousands of pounds to help migrants pretend to be gay in order to stay in the UK, the BBC has found.

In the first part of a major undercover investigation, we reveal how migrants whose visas are due to run out are being given fake cover stories and instructed in how to obtain fabricated evidence, including supporting letters, photographs and medical reports.

They then apply for asylum claiming to be gay and in fear for their lives if they return to Pakistan or Bangladesh.

I appreciate that it's the BBC who investigated this because this is the sort of thing where people would accuse you of believing a right wing fantasy. (They probably will still anyway)

That's why I thought it was worth sharing. There is definitely an "industry" built around asylum seekers in Australia too and if you even mention it you're branded a racist immediately.

THE BBC has come under heavy fire after publishing a “misleading” report on asylum seekers which experts allege will put vulnerable people “at more risk of far-right attacks”.

On Wednesday, the broadcaster published an article alleging that a “shadow industry" was helping people "pretend to be gay" in order to stay in the UK, focusing mainly on a group called Worcester LGBT.

The story was featured prominently on BBC Breakfast and shared widely by corporation journalists.

It was quickly jumped on by far-right agitators including Reform UK’s Matt Goodwin, who said in response: “Britain’s asylum system is a complete and utter joke.”

Nick Timothy, the Conservative frontbencher who sparked a racism row after attacking Muslim prayers in London, also used the story to support his own rhetoric, writing on social media: “This confirms an open secret. Human rights laws have killed immigration control.

“Many claimant lawyers and ‘charities’ – many publicly funded – are abetting thousands of crimes. They all belong in prison. We will bring the whole thing down.”

However, experts have said that the story “massively distorts” the reality of the UK immigration system by portraying a “tiny” number of cases as representative.

The campaign group Rainbow Migration pointed to official UK Government data showing that “only around 2% of all asylum claims included sexual orientation as a reason for needing protection”. The data shows there were 67,337 asylum applications (relating to 84,425 people) in the UK in 2023.

King's College London expert Dr Flora Renz said: "This is absolutely appalling. Study after study has shown the Home Office routinely disbelieves LGBT+ asylum claimants, so this really misrepresents the actual issue."

Dan Sohege, the director of Stand For All and a specialist in refugee law, urged people to submit a formal complaint to the BBC.

“Disgusting reporting by the BBC using a tiny number of cases to suggest widespread abuse of a system which routinely denies LGBT+ individuals asylum and forces them back into environments of persecution,” Sohege said. “This article massively distorts the reality of the situation.

Sohege added: “This reporting puts LGBT+ as well as migrants' rights groups at more risk of far-right attacks, undermines safe spaces for LGBT+ individuals, and makes it harder for LGBT+ people seeking asylum, who already face significant barriers, to be recognised, all based on a handful of anecdotes …

“The newsworthiness of exposing improper practices among some immigration advisors is something I doubt many working in the migrants' rights sector would disagree with. Instead, the BBC has decided to make out people ‘pretending’ to be LGBT+ is a far wider issue than it is, with little context.”

Alasdair Mackenzie, an immigration law expert, said in a social media post: “The real scandal of the asylum system is the cruelty and incompetence which 1000s of people endure every day but which rarely gets spotlighted at the top of the BBC News site.”

He added: “It’s also worth bearing in mind, as the BBC apparently doesn’t, that people flogging a scam aimed at taking ££££ off vulnerable people have every incentive to exaggerate its effectiveness and popularity. Just because they say faking an asylum claim works and is widespread doesn't make it true.

“We have a national discourse premised on asylum seekers being undeserving or ‘bogus’, which allows people to evade the fact that restricting the right to asylum leads inexorably to death and torture.

“Should the BBC give such prominence to stories which reinforce these attitudes?”

Elsewhere, Declassified UK reporter Martin Williams said on social media that the story showed the “problem with @BBCNews and the UK media in a nutshell”.

He explained: “On Tuesday, @declassifiedUK published a major undercover investigation, showing how British citizens are being offered help to move to illegal settlements in the West Bank. It also revealed that the Israeli charity behind it had claimed it could benefit from UK Gift Aid.

“Not a single mainstream news outlet has covered our findings, despite it going viral on social media.

“Then, this morning, the BBC published their own undercover investigation – showing how a small number of migrants facing deportation from the UK make false claims in order to try and stay here.

“Within hours of publishing, the BBC's story has been picked up by the Daily Mail, Telegraph, GB News and others. It's not that their story is ‘wrong’ or shouldn't be reported at all. It's the choice of what to spend time and resources on.”

[Potato]

That's exactly what the shadow industry would say!

[Besticus Maximus]

the stuff about the charity is complete horseshit, you can only register a charity in the UK with a UK bank account for that charity(although you can register officials and nominees from abroad). The system literally does not allow you to register a foreign charity whatsoever. The registration is what lets them claim gift aid, which is basically tax free donations. There's a team of about 15 people in liverpool who process every single charity registration application in the UK and I can guarantee you they're not sitting there at lunch working out how they can send more money to israel

[HaughtyFrank]

Amazing deep thoughts 

"Would you steal from a library?"

"Never"

"Would you steal from the Louvre?"

"Yes"

Edit:

[benji]

There's a team of about 15 people in liverpool who process every single charity registration application in the UK and I can guarantee you they're not sitting there at lunch working out how they can send more money to israel

User Banned (6 Months): Dismissing concerns about colonialism and imperialism.

https://x.com/i/status/2047108140605522263

I think it’s cool. We’ve got to get back to cool crimes like that: bank robberies, right?

Did bank robberies stop at some point?  

A bit later, Piker adds "I’m pro stealing from big corporations, because, you know, they steal quite a bit more from their own workers. However, one thing that might even help your ethical dilemma is the fact that the automated process that they design, these companies know will increase shrink, right?"

His solution? "I’m in favor of fast and free buses and also government-owned storefronts. And two of those policies, the mayor of this beautiful city is currently working on."

 "Stealing from big corporations is cool, so we should make it treason punishable by death"?

Also:

However, one thing that might even help your ethical dilemma is the fact that the automated process that they design, these companies know will increase shrink, right?

I honestly don't know what this is supposed to mean or what he's trying to say.

[HeavenIsAPlaceOnEarth]

[benji]

I think it’s cool. We’ve got to get back to cool crimes like that: bank robberies, right?

Did bank robberies stop at some point?  

FACT CHECK: Hasan is right, yet again, dumb libs in shambles:


More of that neoliberal shrink in wages: https://jasher.substack.com/p/the-disappearing-american-bank-robbery

[HaughtyFrank]

[benji]

Lot of quality discourse happening:

Spoiler:  (click to show)(click to hide)

I don't understand why they all think Max wants him murdered for opposing Israel instead of for being guilty of social murder by hording resources like Thompson. Should we not have the streets soak red in their capitalist blood? 

[HaughtyFrank]

[HaughtyFrank]

[HaughtyFrank]

[Potato]

Look at this genius having an original thought

[Ribosome]

[DavidCroquet]

I love when prolific writers talk about parenting children like it’s this exotic, unfathomable and complex undertaking that is impossible to fully explain, as opposed to like, the one essential act that humans have engaged in since before they were even classified as humans.

She’s stirring that kids head with so much libtard doubletalk that it’s gonna grow up with soup for brains.

[HaughtyFrank]

[killamajig]

I love when prolific writers talk about parenting children like it’s this exotic, unfathomable and complex undertaking that is impossible to fully explain, as opposed to like, the one essential act that humans have engaged in since before they were even classified as humans.

She’s stirring that kids head with so much libtard doubletalk that it’s gonna grow up with soup for brains.

Just what we need, more kids skipping school to lecture everyone

 

[Alpacx]

This is what they mean when they say Harry Potter funds genocide