Lily Allen Criticizes Media Treament of Refugee Crisis in New Essay

Earlier this month, the BBC released a new video detailing Lily Allen’s visit to the Calais “Jungle,” a refugee encampment in the north of France. In it, Allen tells a 13-year-old boy in the camp named Shamsher, “I apologize on behalf of my country. I’m sorry for what we put you through.” That moment, in particular, inspired public backlash against Allen. In a new essay for Vice, Allen has expressed concern for refugees and criticized the media’s scrutiny of her and former soccer player Gary Lineker, who also spoke out on refugees’ behalf. She also suggests that the media has used the refugee crisis to promote a political agenda. She writes:

I don’t really believe the tabloid journalists are worried about 14 refugees coming to the country. I don’t think it’s conspiratorial to say there are other motives at play. Refugees have become a representation of a lot of other factors. They’re being used to push several other agendas.

That public perception leads to a negative attitude toward migrants, according to Allen. She writes: “If you’re at food banks and you see migrant families in the queue ahead of you, it plays into the idea that your problems are caused by migrants.” Read Lily Allen’s full essay here.

The destruction and evacuation of the Calais “Jungle” began earlier this week. There were approximately 6,000-8,000 migrants in the camp. Thousands of people have been taken away from the camp. The UK government has started to take in migrants, including hundreds of child refugees.

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