Zack Polanski on Refugees

Zack Polanski expresses a strong commitment to welcoming refugees, viewing migration as a positive force that has historically benefited the country. He argues that public anger over issues like asylum seeker accommodation is misdirected and should instead target failures in the economic and political establishment, such as the cost of living crisis and wealth hoarding by billionaires and corporations. He has highlighted the stark difference in reception between Ukrainian refugees, who were readily accepted, and those fleeing conflict from places like Syria, Yemen, and Sudan, suggesting a disparity in kindness and compassion that he seeks to correct. He believes that fostering a politics of care and addressing the exclusion felt by the majority of people makes the inclusion of a small number of refugees socially and economically possible.

He advocates for redirecting funds spent on deterring asylum seekers—citing a specific figure given to French authorities for the militarisation of Calais—towards domestic needs like housing. The implication of his stance is that a fundamental shift in economic policy towards an 'economics of care' is a prerequisite for achieving a humane and socially acceptable refugee policy. He suggests that hostility towards newcomers is rooted in the existing political system's failure to provide for the majority, and normalising inclusion for the wider population would lead to the acceptance of migrants and refugees.