A REFUGEE who fled Egypt against the threat of organ-harvesting kidnappers has said riots across England gave him “flashbacks” to the horrors he left behind in Africa.
Glasgow University academic Hyab Yohannes, 37, said far-right rioters across England were spreading “terror” as he accused the political establishment of emboldening them with policies including the now-abandoned Rwanda deportation scheme and the “hostile environment”.
Yohannes, who is originally from Eritrea, said successive governments had created an environment where “any person who feels like it can hunt refugees in the streets”.
READ MORE: Humza Yousaf's in-laws to give testimony to ICC amid Israel war crimes probe
He claimed asylum in the UK in 2015 after a four-year ordeal which saw him flee his home country for a refugee camp in Khartoum, Sudan from which he was kidnapped and taken to Egypt.
In North Africa, he feared he would be trafficked to the Sinai desert, where refugees were taken by smugglers who demanded ransoms, raped and even harvested organs from their captives.
“They wanted to take me to Sinai but I managed to escape,” said Yohannes (above).
“The desert itself was a torture camp, they can just put you there and leave.
"You can’t leave, you can’t go anywhere because it’s just desert, you’re going to die somewhere.”
But in a devastating statement, Yohannes said the events of the past week have recalled the feeling of being “hunted” by traffickers and gangsters.
He said that while the unrest which has gripped parts of England since the killing of three young girls in Southport, Merseyside late last month has so far failed to reach Scotland, it has upended the feeling of safety he has enjoyed in the UK.
READ MORE: John Curtice gives verdict on why far-right riots hit England but not Scotland
Yohannes, who in 2021 completed a PhD at Glasgow University where he is now a researcher, laid the blame for the riots at the door of the government and politicians.
He said: “When you’re creating a hostile environment for human beings; what does it mean, how human are these people, for you?”
And he blasted the media, which he said was “parroting” anti-migrant rhetoric from the state, helping to create “the environment where we are now”.
Yohannes said: “The things that are happening here are what the traffickers are doing in Cairo, in Sudan, in Ethiopia, in Libya, that’s what traffickers do, they just hunt people down, terror within the communities and abduct or kidnap or whatever they can.”
He now lives in Hyndland, Glasgow with his wife and baby daughter and says it is “the best place for me since I left Eritrea”.
READ MORE: Around 20 potential far-right riots expected in England tonight
“There are so many people who are really good, so many people who care a lot about other people and so many people who don’t even notice that you are different, that you are somebody from outside of this place,” said Yohannes.
He praised scenes on Wednesday night which saw massive anti-racist counter-protests hit the streets of England, averting further riots.
They showed the “different side of living in places like the UK, where the majority are very good people”, said Yohannes.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel