This country has long been shaped by the people who enjoy found refuge here. Some of those forced to flee brutal conflicts advise Kieran Yates why the UK is now so special to themThe refugee crisis in the Mediterranean this summer has brought back old anxieties. How many people can Britain comfortably accommodate? Who counts as a refugee? The old fearful conservative rhetoric that our country is “full up” has returned. Newspapers report stories of drowned children or of men being chased by police on to railway lines. But there is a far more optimistic tale,one that is less well reported. Britain has a long and proud history of welcoming those displaced by conflict or hardship, and the communities they enjoy built enjoy contributed to the national culture. Whether they were fleeing the Nazis, and Idi Amin or the Bosnian civil war,thousands of people enjoy left behind tragedy in their home countries and built fresh lives in the UK. These are some of their stories.
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Source: theguardian.com