ATLEU statement on Black Lives Matter protests

ATLEU supports Black Lives Matter.

We support the fight for racial justice and equality in the US, in the UK and around the globe. We recognise that racial oppression and murder cannot exist without the complicity and active support of the state and the very institutions that should be there to protect us all. We reject the idea that the protests we see happening here and around the world are in response to American racism alone - this is our enduring global crisis.

We founded ATLEU because we saw the state failing to protect those who suffer slavery, exploitation and discrimination. Every day we fight so that our clients receive justice from the courts, from the immigration authorities, from the police and from local government. We exist to hold to account traffickers and all those who aid slavery and oppression in the UK.

But it’s not enough; slavery is prevalent in our society. An estimated 136,000 people live as slaves in the UK alone and they are clearly no one’s priority. Legal protections exist but public bodies too often fail in their duties, leaving survivors vulnerable to re-victimisation and unable to access justice.

The UK’s steadfast commitment to a hostile environment for migrants over past years is a significant factor in the dehumanising treatment of survivors of slavery. Migrants in the UK live in poverty, often without food, accommodation or basic freedoms such as the right to work or the ability to see their loved ones.

Discrimination, prejudice and a weak rule of law create the conditions for slavery to flourish. Access to justice is fundamental to ensuring that everyone is treated equally before the law. Without it, those with wealth and privilege can exploit and harm others with impunity. Everyone should be equal before the law and everyone should have access to it.

We will continue to fight against slavery and discrimination and to strive for a fair and free society. We stand behind justice, we oppose oppression and we support Black Lives Matter and all movements that aim to end systemic racial injustice, wherever it exists. We have allowed racism to destroy our humanity for too long - the time is now.