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24th December 2007
Letter
to the Daily Mail
Re: Your coverage from Calais
Dear Mr Dacre,
I am writing with concern in regard to an article by Ms Rebecca Camber in The Daily Mail of 24 December concerning foreign nationals in Calais, “The festive feast laid on for would-be asylum seekers massed in Calais.”
As you may note, the article uses the terms “refugee” and “asylum seeker” interchangeably. Under the 1951 Refugee Convention, a refugee is defined as a person who has a well-founded fear of persecution. Many of the individuals gathered in Calais hail from countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Eritrea, states experiencing conflict and where reports of human rights abuses are frequent.
For The Daily Mail to utilise words like “massed” whilst interchangeably referring to “migrants,” “refugees” and “asylum seekers,” and then incorrectly report that the long-closed Sangatte centre once housed 67,000 persons, amounts to hostile and alarmist media coverage. Using incorrect terminology fails to inform any legitimate public debate on migration and asylum issues: asylum claims in the UK have plummeted and are now at levels not seen in almost 15 years. Your Christmas Eve coverage from Calais sensationalizes the situation at a time of year more suitable to disseminating good-will towards the less-fortunate.
The UN Refugee Agency is saddened that such a misrepresentation occurred and requests The Daily Mail more carefully use terminology relating to asylum seekers and refugees.
Best wishes of the festive season,
Peter Kessler
Senior External Affairs Officer
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