Yet More Embarrassment for Outgoing Mayor Fiaz?

We have seen the result of people from overseas claiming asylum, simply as a means to prolong their stay in the UK. One scam that was popular was for Pakistanis to claim that they had converted to Christianity. Leaving Islam, of course, meant that they were at risk of being killed by their community or even members of their own family.

Any humane society would want to protect such persons.

Such persons like Abdul Ezedi who professed to convert and was given leave to remain in the UK. Ezedi threw acid in the face of his ex-girlfriend and then committed suicide by jumping from Chelsea Bridge into the Thames. For some reason this Christian convert was buried according to Islamic funeral rites.

There is, it seems, a new scam. Claim to be gay.

Again, if you are gay and come from a Muslim country, you have a high risk of being killed by your family, your government or whatever armed group happens to exercise influence locally.

And again, any humane society would want to protect such persons.

But it seems that the instinct to protect the vulnerable is also being abused. Again.

The BBC have done some investigating and their explorations took them to Beckton.

There they found “more than 175 people have gathered for an event.

“Some have travelled from as far as South Wales, Birmingham and Oxford to attend a meeting organised by Worcester LGBT, which describes itself as a support group for gay and lesbian asylum seekers.

“The group's website says that only genuine gay asylum seekers are welcome.

“But the men spilling out from the centre's doors onto the pavement outside readily admit to our undercover reporter that all is not as it seems.

"Most of the people here are not gays," one man called Fahar says. Another, who gives the name Zeeshan, goes further. "Nobody is a gay here. Not even 1% are gay. Not even 0.01% are gay."

The report goes on to describe how this works. “Shakil told the undercover reporter he had to be fearing persecution to claim asylum and did not appear to have any grounds to do so.

“But within a few hours, out of the blue, the reporter took a phone call from someone introducing herself as Tanisa.

“With the conversation having now switched to Urdu, she appeared much more enthusiastic about helping our reporter stay in the country, discussing how he could apply for asylum on the grounds that he's gay.

“When he told her that he wasn't gay, she told him: "Listen to me. There is nobody who is real. There is only one way out in order to live here now and that is the very method everyone is adopting."

The BBC report notes that In 2023, “there were initial decisions on 3,430 LGBT asylum claims, and nearly 1,400 new asylum claims lodged on the basis of sexual orientation.” That is some 42% were made by Pakistani nationals.

The Beckton event was organised by Worcester LBGT Asylum Support Network who work apparently work “in partnership with” LBN. 

Newham is a “Borough of Sanctuary”.