East London Humanists Op piece Docklands and East London Advertiser and Barking and Dagenham Post October 2025
Nigel Farage has an unusual surname. Records show his ancestors were almost certainly Huguenots who came here from France in droves from the 1600’s to flee religious persecution. It led to the coining of the term ‘refugee.’
It is estimated that Huguenots eventually comprised 5% of London’s population. The density was greater in areas like Spitalfields. Street names such as ‘Fournier’ and ‘Weaver’ bear witness to their impact. The far-sighted at that time welcomed their potential to enrich our culture and economy.
What is now Brick Lane Mosque, on the corner of Fournier Street, symbolises the unfolding story of migration to East London. Established as a church by the Huguenots in 1743, it became a synagogue in 1891, serving the influx of Jews fleeing persecution in Eastern Europe. It became a mosque in the 1970’s.
My grandparents settled in that area around 1900 to escape pogroms. They could barely speak or write English, and kept culturally apart throughout their lives. I like to think that I and their other descendants have done a reasonable job of integrating and contributing to this country.
‘Ironic’ is a polite way of describing Farage and other descendants of immigrants who turn their back today on the vulnerable and persecuted. Recent Tory pledges to deport 750,000 migrants appear a bid to outdo Reform in a race to the bottom. Unanswered questions include how much force they intend using, where the holding centres will be, and where these poor souls will be deported to. One shocking detail is their explicit exclusion of religious persecution as a ground for seeking asylum.
Migration is intrinsic to being human. People have moved around the globe since homo sapiens emerged in Africa 300,000 years ago. The causes are many, from flood and famine to war or just seeking a better life. It is a truism that every person in this country is the descendant of an immigrant. Migration can present problems where there are limited resources. But the humane way to address these is through reason, fairness, compassion and cooperation, not through fear, hate, division and othering.
Those most hostile to migrants are often also hostile to acting on human induced climate change, another issue demanding reason, fairness and cooperation. They should check out the Thames Flood Risk map. One day Londoners could be refugees too.
PAUL KAUFMAN, Chairperson East London Humanists
