CAMPAIGNERS at Stand Up To Racism’s annual trade union conference on Saturday called for safer routes for refugees amid an escalation of far-right attacks on migrants.

Care4Calais chief Steve Smith pointed to how the truth was being “so distorted without conscience” by the mainstream media and the attacks that were made by the last Tory government.

He said that deterrent policies introduced by the Conservatives were continuing under Labour, adding: “People are fleeing for safety — but there are no safe routes, so they will take any system they can to get to safety.” 

“With safe routes in place, the demands for the people-smugglers would drop exponentially,” he said.

Kurdish refugee Rahand Ahmad described his own experience. He said: “Is running for your life [something that] should be marked as illegal?

“Most politicians and people with power that can actually do something about this situation do not seem to understand that [refugees] do not have a choice — they don't have time to think about [and wait for] legal routes.”

Mr Ahmad, a student, also pointed to the need for scholarships to be made available to help refugees resume their education.

Safe Passage chief executive Wanda Wyporska said that the government’s Ukraine scheme showed that where there is “political will, it is possible” to establish safe routes for refugees.

“If we want to smash the smugglers, then we need to smash the business model,” she said.

“The government can’t out-Reform Reform. And it’s in danger of losing more of the people who are the backbone of the country, who believe in compassion and dignity, at the heart of which are the trade unions.”

Nazek Ramadan of Migrant Voice warned that “language matters”; she called for unity — so that “our voices are loud enough.”