Watch the following short clip:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/magazine-41584532/the-truth-about-hate-crime-and-brexit?intlink_from_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fnews%2Ftopics%2F5784428d-a30a-4091-82f2-3f4d9b336f75%2Fuk-immigration&link_location=live-reporting-map

Choose one of the following tasks:

1. Write a letter to Theresa May outlining why the views expressed in the clip are unacceptable and persuade the government to implement a campaign to promote acceptable and tolerance of immigrants.


or


2. Create a campaign poster that promotes British values and tolerance of immigrants.

On the 31st of October 2017, a man drove a truck into pedestrians and cyclists in New York City with the intention of killing innocent people and committing an act of terror. 8 people were killed and many more injured. ISIS were quick to claim responsibility for the attack. The attacker has claimed he was inspired by their ideas but police have found no direct link between the man and the terrorist group (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41829264). 

Donal Trump, president of the US, was quick to make comments on this tragedy. He insisted that the US would 'get rid' of the lottery programme as soon as possible - this is a scheme that gives 500,000 permission to live in the USA out of millions that apply. Once their VISA application is accepted (the requirements are extremely strict and many criminal checks are carried out) the 500,000 'lottery winners' are chosen at random. This programme is called the 'Diversity Immigrant Visa' - it aims to bring in migrants from diverse backgrounds. It was under this VISA that the New York attacker moved to the US several years ago. The attacker was from Uzbekistan - not one of the country's that President Trump banned travel from when he first came into power. 

President Trump insisted that canceling this VISA programme was vital to ensure the US's safety - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/41811782/new-york-attack-trump-says-we-must-get-tougher.

Do you agree? 

Complete your own research and write a short essay (100 - 200 words) with your opinion. 

Feel free to share your essay with me - marjmr@waingels.wokingham.sch.uk 

Immigration in the news

On the 15th of August 2015, new figures were released on the levels of immigration (migrants coming into the UK).

Immigration rose to 330,000 migrants arriving into the UK in one year. Of course, the story made big news headlines and many newspapers, websites and politicians took an opportunity to discuss the new statistics.

Read the following three articles focusing on the news:

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34071492 (BBC news online)
• https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/aug/27/net-migration-predicted-to-hit-record-level (The Guardian newspaper online) 
• http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3212572/Net-immigration-smashes-previous-record-hit-330-000-Cameron-s-pledge-cap-numbers-arriving-left-tatters.html (Daily Mail newspaper online) 

Consider the different writers of the articles - you may want to use the internet or ask teachers/parents to gain an idea of what these news outlets general political learning is and what their stance on immigration might be. 

Do you think the outlets' political stance affects their handling of the figures?

Do they portray the news in a positive, negative or neutral light?

Compare the language used in the different articles - is it trying to persuade the reader to think about the figures in a certain way? 

Are any of the articles unfair? Do they encourage anti-immigrant sentiments in the UK?

Challenge: use the internet to find another news story on a similar topic - new figures are often released! Who is the author? How is their view portrayed? Is it biased? 

Treatment of illegal immigrants

Welcome to this MOOC on immigration and tolerance.

This issue has never been more relevant than at present, as the UK moves towards leaving the EU, amidst a climate of intolerance towards migrants.

Particularly, there is a significant focus, by certain news outlets, on illegal immigrants and the problems they bring to the UK. However, once they are found to be living in the UK illegally little is known about their experience. Does anyone care? Should we care?

Watch the Panorama documentary, ‘Undercover: Britain’s Immigration Secrets’, on BBC iPlayer - http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b094mhsn/panorama-undercover-britains-immigration-secrets#.

Once you have watched the documentary, write brief answers to the following questions:

1.       Do you think the treatment of the detainees in Brook House is fair?

2.       Why do you think many of the staff at Brook House treat the detainees as they do?

3.       Does the treatment of the detainees in Brook House reflect how our society as a whole view immigrants in this country?

4.       Do you agree with the whistle-blower’s decision to film people secretly and make his footage public? How will this affect the people involved? Is it fair on them?