A group of people thought to be migrants arriving on the south-east coast of England. PA
A group of people thought to be migrants arriving on the south-east coast of England. PA
A group of people thought to be migrants arriving on the south-east coast of England. PA
A group of people thought to be migrants arriving on the south-east coast of England. PA

Albanians in UK hit by 'wave of discrimination' amid migrant crisis blame game


Laura O'Callaghan
  • English
  • Arabic

Albanians living in the UK are facing a “wave of discrimination” as a result of politicians’ blaming their compatriots for the migrant crisis, the country’s ambassador said.

Qirjako Qirko told The National that it is unacceptable for anyone to blame the Balkan country for Britain’s lax border controls as he called for an apology.

Since the start of the year, more than 12,000 Albanians have landed on UK shores after illegally travelling by small boat from northern France, making up about a quarter of the total number of arrivals. This is a sharp increase compared with the 3 per cent recorded in the whole of 2021.

Suella Braverman, Britain's home secretary, has repeatedly singled out Albanians when claiming that Channel migrants are taking advantage of the UK’s asylum and modern slavery laws. She said that many Albanians are making spurious claims that they are “modern slaves” in an attempt to be allowed to stay in Britain.

Albanian children labelled criminals

Mr Qirko said the consequences of such a blame game are dire for Albanian children in the UK, many of whom he said are being bullied because of their nationality and heritage. He said he receives reports of Albanians being discriminated against “every day” and said he is “absolutely” concerned about the phenomenon.

“Children cannot attend school,” he told The National. “Yesterday I had a young mum, she had a child of three or four years old, and her son didn’t like to go to school any more because all his friends called him an Albanian criminal.”

He said the “negative propaganda against Albanians” was responsible for the rise in hatred.

A Christmas market in Tirana, the capital of Albania. AFP
A Christmas market in Tirana, the capital of Albania. AFP

“Everyone responsible for that should apologise,” he said. “Someone has to find the reason. Why has this wave of discrimination started?

“Everything has been happening for more or less two months now, we’re on the front pages, [but] criminal has no nationality, no colour, no religion.

“In general, Albanians [in the UK] have been treated well historically. But this kind of approach in the last period is unacceptable.”

Mr Qirko called on the Conservative government to strengthen ties with Tirana and increase the sharing of information in an attempt to stop criminal gangs selling illegal passage tickets to people.

He insisted the Albanian government is open to playing its part in liaising with international partners to prevent criminal gangs from operating.

“We are working very closely but if we don’t have exchanges [of information] from governments how can you know if [a migrant] is Albanian or if he’s not Albanian but pretends to be?”

‘It’s not my problem’

Mr Qirko on Wednesday gave evidence to the home affairs committee in the UK parliament, and left some MPs exasperated when he refused to answer questions about Albanian migrants.

The ambassador said his government has “no information” about an increase in Albanians travelling to the UK, and claimed details have not been provided by the Home Office.

There are about 140,000 Albanians living in the UK, he said, and acknowledged that his homeland is a “safe country".

Asked if he would support any move by the UK government to introduce a blanket ban on asylum claims from Albanians, he declined to say.

“I can say that Albania is a safe country, but the direct answer, it’s up to the British authority to decide it,” he said.

“I cannot discuss this issue because it’s not my problem.”

Migrants in the UK - in pictures

  • A person gestures through a fence at the immigration processing centre in Manston, Kent in southern England. Reuters
    A person gestures through a fence at the immigration processing centre in Manston, Kent in southern England. Reuters
  • Security staff work to cover the view of people thought to be migrants in the Manston centre. PA
    Security staff work to cover the view of people thought to be migrants in the Manston centre. PA
  • An aerial view of the facility in Manston. PA
    An aerial view of the facility in Manston. PA
  • Seven hundred people were moved to the centre for safety reasons after incendiary devices were thrown at a Border Force migrant centre in Dover on Sunday. Reuters
    Seven hundred people were moved to the centre for safety reasons after incendiary devices were thrown at a Border Force migrant centre in Dover on Sunday. Reuters
  • A man holds up a baby in the immigration processing centre. Reuters
    A man holds up a baby in the immigration processing centre. Reuters
  • A woman at the Manston centre. Reuters
    A woman at the Manston centre. Reuters
  • A tent inside the processing centre. Reuters
    A tent inside the processing centre. Reuters
  • The entrance to the Manston immigration holding facility. AP
    The entrance to the Manston immigration holding facility. AP

Asked why the number of Albanians crossing the Channel has increased so much this year, Mr Qirko said: “Officially, my embassy, my government … have no information regarding this number.”

He said many arrivals claim to be victims of modern slavery, but would not elaborate on whether he thought such claims were legitimate.

“The problem is, it seems, that the people arriving here … they pretend to be a victim of modern slavery,” he said.

Asked if he thought all Albanians arriving are pretending, he added: “I don’t know.”

Mr Qirko later confirmed he would be happy to see Albanians deemed to be victims of modern slavery in the UK returned to their home country.

Key findings of Jenkins report
  • Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
  • Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
  • Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
  • Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem 

Rating: 4/5

Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

Where to donate in the UAE

The Emirates Charity Portal

You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.

The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments

The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.

Al Noor Special Needs Centre

You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.

Beit Al Khair Society

Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.

Dar Al Ber Society

Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.

Dubai Cares

Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.

Emirates Airline Foundation

Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.

Emirates Red Crescent

On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.

Gulf for Good

Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.

Noor Dubai Foundation

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).

Desert Warrior

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Rating: 3/5

COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETerra%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hussam%20Zammar%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mobility%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-seed%20funding%20of%20%241%20million%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

TO ALL THE BOYS: ALWAYS AND FOREVER

Directed by: Michael Fimognari

Starring: Lana Condor and Noah Centineo

Two stars

THE SPECS

Aston Martin Rapide AMR

Engine: 6.0-litre V12

Transmission: Touchtronic III eight-speed automatic

Power: 595bhp

Torque: 630Nm

Price: Dh999,563

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

The specs: Aston Martin DB11 V8 vs Ferrari GTC4Lusso T

Price, base: Dh840,000; Dh120,000

Engine: 4.0L V8 twin-turbo; 3.9L V8 turbo

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic; seven-speed automatic

Power: 509hp @ 6,000rpm; 601hp @ 7,500rpm

Torque: 695Nm @ 2,000rpm; 760Nm @ 3,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 9.9L / 100km; 11.6L / 100km

Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

THE SPECS

Cadillac XT6 2020 Premium Luxury

Engine:  3.6L V-6

Transmission: nine-speed automatic

Power: 310hp

Torque: 367Nm

Price: Dh280,000

Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi

Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi

Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain

Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni

Rating: 2.5/5

GOLF’S RAHMBO

- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)

How tumultuous protests grew
  • A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
  • Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved 
  • Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
  • At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
  • Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars 
  • Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
  • An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital 
War and the virus
Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eamana%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2010%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Karim%20Farra%20and%20Ziad%20Aboujeb%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERegulator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDFSA%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinancial%20services%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E85%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESelf-funded%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Haltia.ai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Arto%20Bendiken%20and%20Talal%20Thabet%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20AI%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2041%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20About%20%241.7%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Self%2C%20family%20and%20friends%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Part three: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

How to apply for a drone permit
  • Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
  • Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
  • Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
  • Submit their request
What are the regulations?
  • Fly it within visual line of sight
  • Never over populated areas
  • Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
  • Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
  • Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
  • Should have a live feed of the drone flight
  • Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Updated: December 07, 2022, 2:29 PM