We want to leave, plead refugees on Scots island
Syrian families say Bute is ‘where people come to die’
IT was a scheme designed to offer Syrian refugees a new life in Scotland, away from the horrors of their war-ravaged homeland.
But some of the first to be given sanctuary in Rothesay eight months ago have spoken of their unhappiness on Bute, saying it is ‘full of old people’ and a place ‘where people come to die’.
Two of the Syrian families on the island also spoke of their shame at receiving charity, but were quick to praise the people of Scotland and also spoke of their love of the country’s blustery, unpredictable climate.
Struggling to learn English, the fathers of the families – who both used to run businesses – said that most days they stay indoors or take walks on the seafront, feeling isolated.
Names have been changed because of fears about family members still in Syria, but Abd, 42, who lives with his wife Rasha, 35, and their four children, said: ‘At first, of course, I was really happy to come to the UK. It is the mother of freedom.
‘People treated me really well, really nice. Scotland is beautiful.
‘I love the weather. There are some people who like this weather and I like it. I like the winter. But for six, seven months now there has been nowhere to go.
‘There is no movement, there is nothing. I’m not bored any more. I am depressed now. I feel like I have one option now – to die here. Only die here, nothing else.’
The families arrived via the Home Office’s Syrian Vulnerable Person Reset- tlement scheme last year. This aims to rehome 20,000 people in the United Kingdom by 2020 and prioritises the most vulnerable, who cannot be supported in their country of origin.
The refugees have been given five years’ Humanitarian Protection status, permission to work and access to public funds. Twelve months of costs, excluding economic integration, are met by the UK’s overseas aid budget.
Argyll and Bute Council was among 16 Scottish local authorities to sign up for the initiative, with the first 100 Syrian refugees flown to the UK and on to Scotland in November last year.
But Abd, who had been making trips to Glasgow to find work, said: ‘I didn’t expect to come to this island. We thought we were going to London or Manchester. But whenever we say anything about moving off the island, we are told “We had to pay a lot of money to bring you here”.
‘I feel like it’s an obligatory residence. I feel humiliated. I didn’t come here for anyone to control me.’
The Syrian said he felt ‘humiliated’ by council staff and recently downed a whole bottle of whisky as part of a failed suicide attempt that put him in hospital.
Rasha’s sister Fatima, 31, and her husband Hassan, 41, who have two young daughters, also spoke of their time on Bute, through a professional interpreter.
Rasha said the island was ‘full of old people’ and described it as ‘where people come to die’.
Bute is picturesque but has high unemployment and Rothesay is in the top 15 per cent of the most deprived areas in Scotland.
Both families said they were excited by the prospect of moving to either Glasgow or Manchester.
Abd said: ‘I think if I go to a place where there are more Arabic people, I can communicate with them and learn English here and there and probably catch a job.’ The families were chosen from a UN database after registering as refugees in Lebanon around four years ago.
Both Abd and Hassan were imprisoned and tortured in their homeland and spoke of the huge relief to escape the district of Baba Amr in Homs, which was destroyed by bombing.
Rasha said: ‘It’s really, really hard to leave your country, but we had to. I was really worried about the kids. We were in danger. We escaped by hiding in a vehicle full of vegetables and luggage. There was a lot of helicopters and airplanes, it was a war zone. There was no water, no electricity, no food.’
A spokesman for Argyll and Bute Council said: ‘We are disappointed that two families are not happy on Bute.
‘These are not the views of the majority of our families, who are settling in well and making the most of all the opportunities of support and welcome available.’