The Home Office is to stop using a video it put on social media accusing migrants’ lawyers of being “activists”, the news comes after The Law Society claimed the video was “misleading and dangerous”.
Home Office permanent secretary Matthew Rycroft said the video “should not have been used on an official government channel” and would not be posted again.
The animated clip on the Home Offices Twitter feed said the current asylum system was “open to abuse”, allowing activist lawyers to “delay and disrupt returns” of illegal migrants.
It showed a graphic of planes leaving the UK, with the caption: “We are working to remove migrants with no right to remain in the UK.
“But currently return regulations are rigid and open to abuse… allowing activist lawyers to delay and disrupt returns.”
Initially, a spokesman for the department said it would not be removing the original post – viewed more than 1.6 million times, however, several hours later it had been taken down from the social media platform.
The Home Office did not specify who created the video or approved it for publication.
The Law Society, which represents solicitors in England and Wales, condemned the video, saying attacks on the integrity of the legal profession “undermine the rule of law”.
The president of the group, Simon Davis, said: “Solicitors advise their clients on their rights under the laws created by parliament. To describe lawyers who are upholding the law as ‘activist lawyers’ is misleading and dangerous.
“We should be proud that we live in a country where legal rights cannot be overridden without due process, and we should be proud that we have legal professionals who serve the rule of law.”
[give_form id=”1772″ show_title=”false” show_goal=”false” show_content=”below” display_style=”modal”]
Editor-in-Chief | Carl D. Pearson has been involved in British politics and media from an early age, with the key knowledge of what it takes to run a news organisation for the 21st century. Mr Pearson, as Editor-in-chief, is responsible for supervising the daily tasks of publishing media and content to UNN’s website and various platforms.
[sibwp_form id=4]
