UK Anti-immigrant Riots: Ghana High Commission reacts to claims of neglecting Ghanaians

The Ghana High Commission to the United Kingdom [UK] and the Republic of Ireland has reacted to allegations that it has neglected Ghanaians who have been left stranded due to the ongoing unrest in the European country.

In a statement copied to GhanaWeb, the commission refuted assertions in the Ghanaian media that it has taken no steps to protect Ghanaians living in the UK from the ongoing anti-immigrant protest in the country.

It said that, contrary to reports, it has sent communication to all Ghanaians living in the UK and warned them to stay away from areas in the UK which are currently volatile.

“The High Commission regrets the allegation of inaction or indifference levelled against the office because it is both untruthful and most unhelpful in the unfortunate circumstances in which our host nation and Mission find ourselves.

“The hard fact is that despite the irregular and sporadic nature of the nationwide riots, we categorically state that we have followed the trends as much as it is possible and maintained contact with the various heads of the registered Ghanaian Associations across the UK during these unprecedented riots,” part of the statement reads.

It added, “Among some measures which may not be fully disclosed for now, through these interactions, the Mission has requested the aforementioned leaders to communicate to their constituents the need to be cautious in their daily activities and to avoid areas where groups were gathering to protest. Indeed, while doing so, the Mission also shared locations of rioting both in London and across the UK with them, and advised that our nationals remain vigilant in those towns and cities.”

The commission also indicated that its checks show that no Ghanaians have been harmed.

It vowed to take all the needed steps to ensure that no Ghanaian is harmed, including dual citizens.

“The Mission additionally reached out to some of the leaders of the associations to assist it in verifying reports of Ghanaians who have allegedly been attacked. The ongoing checks are, however, yet to reveal that any Ghanaian has been harmed.

“We want to assure all nationals, including those with dual citizenship, that the High Commission would continue to discharge all its legitimate rights under the Geneva Convention relative to the protection of civilians in defending the lives of all Ghanaians and people of Ghanaian descent,” the statement concludes.

The commission was reacting to a report by Kofi Marfo, a UK-based Ghanaian journalist with Rainbow Radio UK, who stated in an interview with Channel One TV that it has been very quiet while other countries are cautioning and repatriating their nationals from the UK.

According to Marfo, the commission’s failure to communicate with the community across the UK raises concerns among its members.

“I was expecting the Ghana High Commission, which is the embodiment representing the Jubilee House of the President of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, but they’ve been very quiet on this case. We have other nations cautioning their citizens not to travel to the UK.

“We have other countries that are willing to even repatriate their citizens from this country. I was hopefully waiting for the Ghana High Commission under the leadership of Papa Owusu Ankomah, to have signalled some kind of concern with messages of encouragement," he said.

Despite reiterating earlier reports that no Ghanaian has been harmed by the protest, he stated that most of them, especially children, are living in constant fear as the violent attacks intensify.

“For now, I cannot say there’s been any attack on Ghanaians specifically in London, where I live because I made phone calls to other friends in the northern, eastern, and southern parts of London, and there’s not been any attacks on London, and it’s because they haven’t intensified the demonstration in London yet.

“Notwithstanding that, we have a lot of black women, Asian women and children living in fear and most of them have refused to come out. Most of them have decided to live a solitary lifestyle," he said.

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