So looking at pictures of the horrible refugee camps in barracks that have been set up. Slightly surprised to see black people in the pictures because all the media coverage on boat arrivals has been about Syrian refugees. There is real racism going on re ‘virtuous refugees’.

Who are whiter. I would guess from pictures a significant number of the people in the camps are Eritrean, Sudanese and Ethiopian - political asylum claims from all of these countries are strong so why the media portrayal of arrivals as Syrian and Iranian rather than black?

I have been an asylum lawyer for what six years or so now and there can be a real nastiness in the way the claims of black people are treated. The Windrush review did not find systemic racism but then it wasn’t looking at the asylum system. The way country evidence is framed.

There can be a real lack of professional curiosity about the experience of asylum seekers leading to trafficking only be identified years later which I have found to be particularly keenly felt along racial lines.

I guess part of it is geographic - like why aren’t you finding out how/why this person travelled to another continent with apparently no money or why this person’s journey here took years. But I very strongly feel that black African men in particular are treated disrespectfully.

For example when you have a case with a white British wife or foster carer you are in a different ball game to when it is the client on their own. It’s grim.

I accept this is anecdotal and maybe more about me challenging my own response. But if we had better front loading of advice and support (rather than making people fight for very limited services) there would be more chance for everyone to be treated with care and respect