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| Sunak in a public appearance talking about anti-immigrant policies |
Detina and Argita Zalli, the two sisters originally from Albania who immigrated to England about 25 years ago, very successful and active in the social-political life of the United Kingdom, have reacted in relation to the very exclusionary and surprising policies against emigrants of the British government led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. You can read the whole letter below:
Dear Prime Minister,
The boat saved my life and took me to Harvard University, Oxford University, and now Cambridge University!
But my question is:
What would you do if your family was in danger? Would you take the boat? What if your family starved and there were no jobs in your country? Would you risk going to a better, safer place to give your children a better future, and a better education?
I came to the UK as a child in a speedboat and lorry many years ago while trying to escape the civil war in Albania. I took a very small boat risking my life in the giant waves of the sea. Then, I had to hide under the trucks until I got inside one. I was still a child at the time - and had never seen an airplane in my life. Even just seeing an airplane was a dream far removed from reality. I used to see Americans and British citizens as "gods".
I didn't have the privilege they had. I was just a little girl from a poor country, a "Refugee".
My first years in Great Britain were very difficult. The negativity that the UK media showed towards refugees caused me to be bullied every day at school. As a child, I could not protect myself. But through my story and my voice, I have a duty as an adult to protect all those refugee children who are still going through what I once went through.
Fast forward, to my 25 years in the UK, I have helped more than 20,000 students from low socio-economic backgrounds by providing free STEM education (currently we are helping students from Ukraine).
Please don't blame refugees for the UK economy, but take responsibility for Brexit!
Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging is our strength, not our weakness!