The week of 29 July to 5 August 2024 witnessed the largest outbreak of far-right rioting and disorder in the post-war period [source: Hope Not Hate]. This violence included arson attacks on asylum accommodation, which happened to the cheers of onlookers whilst residents were still inside. One such attack took place at a hotel in Rotherham, just 30 minutes down the road from us, where some of our service users who are seeking asylum were living. 

City of Sanctuary Sheffield immediately mobilised to support those targeted by such violence. Our position as a trusted leader and expert in supporting individuals seeking sanctuary allows us to respond effectively during crises. By harnessing the strong working partnerships we have built across the city, and providing direct support, we played a key role in convening, facilitating, and, where helpful, taking on a leadership role to respond quickly and confidently. By listening deeply to the experiences and needs of those affected by far-right violence and amplifying their voices, we continue to build long-term community resilience.

As with any crisis response work we’ve undertaken—whether during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the fall of Kabul in 2021, the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, or the recent detainment of people under the previous administration’s Rwanda deportation policy—we will continue to be reflexive to the needs of people who are seeking sanctuary. Our aim is always to ensure we are working in the most effective and impactful way possible. 

Our Immediate Reponse 

Monday 5th August

The day after the attack, we checked in with our community, reaching out to hotel residents and those who attended the solidarity rally, including staff and volunteers. Then we began absorbing what has happened and planning how we could be most effective in response to the ongoing threat.  

We released the below public statement: 

Tuesday 6th August

We planned and delivered a private community response meeting with over 150 people in attendance (including all of the Sheffield MPs offices, Councillors, Partner Organisations, People Seeking Sanctuary, People living in asylum hotels in Sheffield, activists and campaigning groups). 

In the face of the ongoing threat of violence, safety was a key concern. Therefore, this wasn’t a publicly shared meeting, and we invited only people in our trusted communities and networks. 

The meeting aimed to:  

• To centre the experience of people who are at the sharp end of this violence (asylum seekers, refugees, and communities of colour)  

• To acknowledge what brings us together and to take a moment to share how we are all feeling after the events of the weekend and the ongoing threat of violence  

• To start to gather community responses to what has happened; recognising that this is only the beginning of this work 

Our System Change and Advocacy Coordinator worked with women who were living in local hotels to safely and impactfully share their experiences and feelings in the meeting. We also heard from the Refugee Council, a key organisation supporting people living in the Rotherham hotel, about people’s experiences and the urgent changes needed from the Home Office and the companies managing asylum hotels. Such changes- such as facilitating evacuations in the days leading up to planned attacks, improving communication during and after violent incidents (especially for those who do not speak English or for people confined to their rooms for extended periods), and ensuring access to food during lockdowns-  are essential to reduce and prevent harm in the event of future threats of violence from the far right against asylum accommodation.  

Wednesday 7th August

We closed our offices at lunchtime in response to possible far-right threat in Sheffield City center and on solicitors who work alongside people seeking sanctuary. The chance of violence was low, but we wanted to both be safe and give staff time off.   

Thursday 8th August

Tom, the Director of City of Sanctuary Sheffield, spoke to BBC Radio Sheffield, discussing the aftermath of recent riots. Tom spoke about the impact the riots have had, particularly on refugees and people seeking asylum, and the need for long-term collective action to prevent such incidents from happening again. 

Thursday 8th August to Tuesday 13th August

Earlier in the week, Sheffield’s key leaders, experts, and changemakers, had gathered at our community response meeting to collaboratively brainstorm actions that both they and the wider Sheffield community could take. 

We worked to develop an action plan, using the brainstorm from our community response meeting and feedback from those currently living in hotels in Sheffield. Our focus was on ensuring that tangible actions were identified and effectively implemented.  

 
The response from the wider Sheffield community was vast, with WhatsApp groups of over 1,000 people formed to coordinate efforts. We publicly shared key actions that people across the city could take to help build community solidarity and resist the far right. Our aim was to ensure that this energy and response was effectively channelled to create long-term change: 

 
We also continued to develop the action plan. We supported other key leaders and organsiations to take the lead on certain areas of the response. For example, we recognised the need for a united anti- racism coalition and Sheffield’s Trade Union Council has taken the lead on chairing this, proposing a co-ordinating committee consisting of representatives from trade unions, workplaces, communities and political organisations, including anti-fascist and migrant rights organisations. We are leading on areas of the response where we can be most effective, such as delivering letters of solidarity to the hotels that we regularly visit.  

Saturday 10^th August 

Our Advocacy and Systems Change coordinator spoke at anti-racism rally in Sheffield city center, working to center the experiences of people seeking asylum within Sheffield’s response. 

We hosted a banner-making event before the rally and gathered with volunteers and community members afterwards to share food and solidarity together.

Thursday 13th August

We chaired our regular Service Provider Group, which brings together those delivering services, including Sheffield City Council, for people seeking sanctuary in Sheffield. This month’s meeting focused on our response to far-right violence and the sharing of best practices. It was attended by over 40 individuals (usually the meeting has around 15 regular attendees).  

Tuesday 20th August 

Our Experts by Experience (EbE) team leader chaired a meeting exclusively for people of colour and people with lived experience of seeking sanctuary to reflect and share. This included City of Sanctuary Sheffield staff and volunteers. A reflection of this meeting has been produced and shared widely in order to amplify the experiences of those most impacted. 

Thursday 29th August  

We met with Sheffield City Council leadership to highlight our ongoing concerns and advocate for more support for those impacted. We emphasised the need for additional support from statutory services to enable people living in asylum accommodation to properly access these services, as well as the urgent need for mental health support for people seeking asylum housed in hotels. We also discussed the long-term need for people seeking asylum to be housed in our communities, rather than in hotels or camps. Additionally, we urged the council to improve neighborhood links, enabling people living in hotels to access the existing community support and services in their local areas.  

Ongoing work 

We continue to meet with political and community leaders to advocate for improved support for people seeking sanctuary, to hold people to account for how the initial situation was dealt with, to amplify the voices of people at the sharp end of far-right violence and to create long term change within the asylum system.  

We continue to provide invaluable community support and connection and provide dedicated support to individuals living in asylum accommodation.