I OBJECT strongly to Ella Hirst's comment that "asylum seekers are milking our coffers dry" (Letters, May 24). Such language shows an ignorance of the real situation.
Asylum seekers receive only £40 a week, which is 75 per cent of normal income support. The reason why they are having to claim this is because the Government prevents asylum seekers from working.
The likes of the Sun and Daily Mail use sensationalist headlines and fuel racism by claiming the country is being over-run by asylum seekers, when the fact of the matter is that we only take 0.05 per cent of the world's refugees, a lot less than many of our neighbours.
I would suggest before attacking asylum seekers you should seek out the facts, many of which are published by the Committee to Defend Asylum Seekers (www.defend-asylum.org).
Andrew Collingwood,
Turners Croft,
Heslington, York.
Updated: 10:42 Monday, June 02, 2003
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