IMMIGRATION lawyers fear being attacked after their offices were included on a list circulated on social media. Far-right groups have planned demonstrations in more than 30 locations, targeting immigration lawyers and buildings hosting asylum seekers.
Police have advised some lawyers to work from home, board up office windows, and install fireproof letterboxes.
Naveed Mukhtar, an Asian-origin lawyer and father of three girls, told BBC Channel Four that the situation is frightening and he feels panicked.
"You just think something worse is going to happen," he said.
"I told my wife and children to pack everything in bags; we just got to go," said the visa and immigration lawyer, whose name and address were posted online in a list containing details of dozens of law centres marked as potential targets.
The list was initially published on the messaging app Telegram along with the phrase “no more immigration” and other anti-migration sentiments and has been shared thousands of times.
The list includes details of dozens of law centres and is accompanied by anti-migration sentiments. The Telegram group, created after the Southport attack, has grown rapidly and has been reposted many times.
A false rumour online that the Southport attack suspect was an asylum seeker has fuelled disorder in many towns and cities over the past week. One immigration lawyer on the list has received repeated threats and had to take her website down and cancel all face-to-face appointments. "People have been calling up my office to threaten and insult me. I’m just trying to do my job," she told the BBC.
The Law Society is supporting the solicitors named on the list. President Nick Emmerson said that lawyers are worried about their safety, their staff, and their clients, who are under threat. "There is a real and specific threat to named firms with their addresses being circulated on social media," Emmerson told the BBC. He added that police support has been reassuring, but there is limited advice other than avoiding work and client meetings.
Nearly 6,000 public order officers are mobilised to respond to disorder, with at least 30 potential gatherings planned. The Met Police are aware of events planned by far-right groups and will use all available measures to prevent disorder.
Keir Starmer warned anyone involved would face “the full force of the law,” including those inciting violence online. The prime minister, speaking from Downing Street, stated that he expects "substantive sentencing" for those involved in the unrest.
The Law Society continues to advise caution, but the challenges of working remotely, especially with non-English speaking asylum seekers, are significant.
The Immigration Law Practitioners Association (ILPA) has condemned the violence. Zoe Bantleman, legal director of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association (ILPA), told the Gazette: "The recent far-right violence and riots may intend to divide us, to vilify migrants, people racialised as migrants, and those of us who represent them. We will not bow to these tactics of intimidation. We will respond with solidarity, and it is that which strengthens the legal community in the face of adversity."
Immigration lawyers have begun boarding up their office windows ahead of the demonstrations. The windows at one legal office in Southend-on-Sea have been boarded up ahead of a planned far-right demonstration, reported The Telegraph. Some shops in the area are also said to be closing early ahead of the protests.
Nearly 400 people have been arrested, and 100 have been charged over the week-long disturbances. Some suspected far-right rioters appeared in court on Tuesday as the government prepared specialist police officers to handle England’s worst disorder in over a decade.
Kulsuma Aktergetty images