My daughter’s partner works with a non profit organisation that helps asylum seekers. Recently they were forwarded a copy of a letter in which a claim was denied by the UK Border Agency.
I am assured that this is a real extract from the letter sent to a Côte d’Ivoire asylum seeker when his application was turned down.
You claim that you could not relocate to the area where your parents are living as you fear attacks from guerrillas. However, information from the World Wide Fund for Nature confirms that guerrillas are not native to that part of the country and in any event there are few recorded incidents of primates attacking humans unless their natural habitat is disturbed or their young threatened.
The UK Border Agency is staffed by college graduates (many from the most elite universities in this country) who take a competitive exam for entrance into the Civil Service. They are highly paid, starting at salaries not far off the most I have ever earned.
These young people are making decisions that might mean life or death for the people who come before them. They have absolute authority, tempered only by the efforts of organisations like the one my daughter’s partner works for.
Otherwise, I would have found the above quite funny, especially as I have, for 30 years, lived among arrogant idiots who think it is clever to remark, But you Americans barely speak English!
Meanwhile, I am puzzling over the obvious question, since I know the author of this letter must have been Highly Educated, what exactly we are teaching our children.
Nevertheless, as there are still a few people in this country who do speak English, I expect the claimant in this case will do well on appeal.
I’m just gobsmacked! And yet, I have no difficulty believing that this can happen. Like you, I’ve seen more than my share of “well educated” half-wits. It would be funny if it weren’t so tragic on so many levels, not just for the claimant (who will, one hopes, do well on appeal) but for the future of the British education system.
Comment by Tessa — March 15, 2010 @ 12:37 pm
I nearly fell out of my chair laughing. Even The Young One, only 15, found it quite amusing – he laughed when he read the title. Then again, he’s played enough video games to know that gorillas are notoriously poor shots when armed with automatic weapons.
Comment by Jan — March 15, 2010 @ 2:10 pm
Ah, yes, does anyone think Donkey Kong would be granted asylum?
Comment by Duchess — March 15, 2010 @ 3:29 pm
Is there a possibility it was someone’s idea of a joke? Someone who doesn’t grasp the seriousness of the situation and thought they’d be “cute” with this response? I can hardly dare to think it was written in all seriousness….but then again…..
Comment by Midlife Slices — March 15, 2010 @ 4:48 pm
BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
Comment by Twenty Four At Heart — March 15, 2010 @ 5:18 pm
Humans are primates. I hope the poor threatened chap informs his parents of this official letter so that they might properly attack the idjit who wrote it.
Comment by Lavenderbay — March 16, 2010 @ 4:39 am
Gee, I know of a group who is forming a guerilla band—-perhaps they need a banjo player.
Comment by Susan — March 16, 2010 @ 6:29 pm
Well, maybe it is a joke. But the organisation that passed it on really does believe the letter is genuine.
Comment by Duchess — March 21, 2010 @ 1:42 pm
Your story reminds me of the woman who lived in the State of New Mexico who tried to order something by phone, only to be told that she couldn’t do it, because she had to be a resident of the United States, not a resident of a foreign country! Funny, but the last time I looked, New Mexico was still one of the fifty states and has been since 1912.
Canadian Chickadee
Comment by Carol Lake — March 21, 2010 @ 5:31 pm
hi
thanks for sharing this. I am a doctor working with people who are asylum seekers and refugees. Is there anyway we could discuss this via email? I am keen to get some more information as it might help with some of the work I do and will be most grateful.
Comment by saleyha ahsan — March 30, 2010 @ 5:14 pm
OMG but why am I not surprised? An excellent example of the reality that is the HO. I hope the issue gets resolved.
Comment by Javane — June 3, 2010 @ 10:20 am
[…] 3. Confusing the word ‘guerrilla’ with gorilla. This one seems too bizarre to be genuine (you never know!) but if it were meant as a joke, it was completely unprofessional given the context. [link] […]
Pingback by Myth Busting: Asylum Seekers « — June 3, 2010 @ 1:07 pm
Midlive Slices – I thought the same, but even if it were a joke it is still incredibly rude and unprofessional. 🙁
I’ve mentioned it here: http://shreenayob.wordpress.com/2010/06/03/myth-busting-asylum-seekers/
Thanks for bringing this to our attention Duchess
Comment by Shreen — June 3, 2010 @ 1:09 pm
Until March I worked with a non profit organisation which represents asylum seekers – and I’ve seen a copy of the UKBA ‘guerilla’ refusal letter. I’m sorry to report that I have, over the years, also seen many other examples of UKBA letters of a similar calibre. It’s no joke.
Comment by Mel — June 9, 2010 @ 12:31 pm
Mel – many other examples? :-O
I was going to write to the UKBA and see if I could get hold of a copy, but I think we can safely assume that a lot of staff there are just plain ignorant and unintelligent. 🙁
Comment by Shreen — June 17, 2010 @ 8:36 am
[…] And what do you think of the guerrilla / gorilla letter ? [Link] […]
Pingback by Have we been unfair on the UKBA? – Interview with UK Border Agency Employee | — October 12, 2010 @ 12:34 pm