How U.K. Immigration Lawyers Became a Target of Far-Right Riots

On Monday, Harjap Singh Banghal got an unexpected call from the police, who warned him that he had become the target of far-right activist groups amid ongoing riots across the U.K. A renowned immigration lawyer whose offices in London and Birmingham regularly assist asylum seekers with their claims, Banghal’s work landed his name on a list—which includes up to 60 names of individual lawyers, law offices, immigration centers, and refugee shelters—being circulated on social media platforms with the phrase, “no more immigration.”

The 49-year-old lawyer from Romford, Essex, says he shut down his offices on Tuesday after the police advised him to stay home. “It’s been a mixture of anxiety and concern for my employees because our company feeds 15 families,” he says. “There’s also concern for my clients, who are coming into the office with their children, so I didn't want anything happening to any of them.” 

The U.K. is facing its worst riots in 13 years as far-right groups lead anti-immigration uprisings across the country, sparked by the spread of misinformation that a Muslim asylum seeker had stabbed three young girls in Southport on July 29. A U.K. judge eventually revealed the suspect as Axel Rudakubana, who is not a Muslim, but by Monday night, a Telegram group had grown to 15,000 members, with the lawyer hit-list reposted several times since.

Read More: How Online Misinformation Stoked Anti-Migrant Riots in Britain

More than 400 rioters have been arrested in connection so far. On Tuesday, authorities braced for more violence with police chiefs saying they would deploy an extra 2,200 riot-trained officers to combat any unrest spreading across the country. Those targeted on the list have been offered extra security measures to prevent potential attacks, particularly in instances where offices are based inside residential homes.

Immigration has become a heated debate in the U.K. after it was reported that almost 45,000 people crossed the English Channel in 2022—the highest number since the government began collecting data in 2018. In response, the Conservative Party-led government under former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak engaged in a prolonged but unsuccessful battle in the courts and in Parliament to pass legislation that would allow the country to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. The plan cost nearly £220 million, but no migrants were ever deported to the East African country.  Since coming into power in July, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has stated he plans to curb small boat arrivals to the U.K. by taking tougher measures to "smash" criminal people-smugglers. 

Read More: How Online Misinformation Stoked Anti-Migrant Riots in Britain

Banghal, the immigration lawyer, says that comments made by members of the last government have nevertheless contributed to the far-right threats he now faces. Last August, former Home Secretary Suella Braverman vowed to “root out” “crooked immigration lawyers” in response to reports that some law firms were offering to submit false asylum claims for a fee. 

“The last government was very clear that it was anti-immigration lawyers, and when you start validating that, it becomes an unsafe zone,” says Banghal. “I’m just doing my job, just like doctors, nurses, and teachers are doing theirs.”

One immigration lawyer on the hit-list was repeatedly threatened and eventually forced to take her website down and cancel all her face-to-face appointments. “People have been calling up my office to threaten and insult me,” she told the BBC.

The Law Society of England and Wales said it was continuing to support any members on the target list to ensure their safety after its president, Nick Emerson, wrote to Starmer, Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood, and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to express concerns. 

“These threats against our legal profession were an attack on our democratic values,” Emmerson said in a statement to TIME. “Now is the time for our country and our leaders to reaffirm their commitment to the rule of law. They must ensure that all those who have committed crimes in recent days face swift justice.”

Another professional association, the Law Society and Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA), released a statement saying it had personally contacted all the organizations on the target list to make them aware of recommended safety measures, including working from home where possible.

“The planned targeting of immigration lawyers, and the individuals they represent, is the natural inheritance of a climate of hostility fuelled by divisive, anti-migrant, and populist rhetoric from senior politicians in previous Governments and certain parts of the media, upon which the far-right have latched,” ILPA Legal Director Zoe Bantleman said. 

On Tuesday, Starmer convened a second Cobra crisis response meeting to take “all necessary action” to end the unrest spreading across the country after the government set up overnight courts to deal with the flood of cases arising from the riots. 

Banghal, who reopened his legal offices on Wednesday morning, says the riots seem like a way to “play off marginalized people against each other to suit a narrative.” But he adds that he has also received a wave of support from the local authorities and his community. “I’m cautious and alert, but I’m not going to live my life in fear for doing my job,” he says.