Welcome to the first digital edition of the New Londoners 

Immigration was a hot topic during the election campaign with the press creating  sensational negative headlines about migrants, refugees and asylum seekers and  politicians tongue-tied as to their response.  Articles in the national media were often ill-informed and they lumped together, as a homogenous group, economic migrants from the EU and those seeking asylum in the UK due to persecution and torture.  Now that the election is over, it is possible to have a better informed debate about the impact of migration in London and to be clear about which groups we are talking about.

This first digital edition of The New Londoners focuses on the contribution that migrants make to our society with the interview with The Bloody Foreigners and the article on the migrant labour force in London by Juan Camilo.  This edition aims to bust the myths surrounding the impact of migration into London and to show how much our society is enriched by it and why migration is necessary for the economic well-being of our capital city.

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the first edition of the New Londoners quarterly digital magazine which follows on from the great success of the paper edition distributed annually during Refugee Week since 2007.  We are determined to build understanding between London communities old and new and, by going digital, we hope to reach many more people and to provide an interactive platform for stories and comments.  The magazine is produced by the Migrants Resource Centre with the input of many volunteers and users from the organisation’s Migrant and Refugee Media Action Group.

It is now easier to tell us your views, your stories, by posting your comment on the New Londoners website www.thenewlondoners.co.uk or by finding us on facebook and twitter.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Ros Lucas