Language matters, and the death of some 41 people – fellow human beings – capsized in the Mediterranean is a reminder that the language people use to describe those seeking shelter, freedom from persecution (or, for that matter, simply a better life) is of crucial importance. It matters because it frames the debate about migration and the refugee crisis – and words can all too easily strip people of their rights and dignities by dehumanising them.
Lee Anderson, for example – the boorish deputy chair of the Conservative Party, and the dog whistler-in-chief for his more fastidious colleagues – recently earned himself some further ugly publicity for remarking that if the people ordered onto the Bibby Stockholm barge didn’t like the offer then they could “f*** off back to France”.
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