by Livia Barreira
Livia Barreira, a Brazilian journalist and author living in Sheffield, will vote for the first time in the upcoming UK General Election. Reflecting on this milestone, she underscores its significance while expressing frustration with how political actions and government policies silence migrant communities.
On July 4th, 2024, I will vote in a General Election for the first time. This will be another important milestone for me as a migrant settled in the UK. After waiting for a long and exhausting eight years, I now have political rights in this country where I am a taxpayer and an active community member.
I am a journalist, writer, and migrant rights activist originally from Brazil. My vote will count for the first time in the ballot box. I am aware that my vote symbolically represents many migrant voices that are strategically silenced and excluded from the political debate in the UK.
I take this task as seriously as possible, especially because the government often talks about migrants in a negative way. They say migration is expensive for taxpayers, and the number of migrants needs to be reduced. They “forget” to mention that many people on visa routes are themselves taxpayers and are also being exploited with expensive visa fees. These people also don’t have access to any public funds. In a very convenient and cowardly way, the government talks about migrants, but they don’t include us in the conversation about migration.
Through my work to bring visibility to migrants in Sheffield, where I live, I have also become a face representing diversity in the city.
A few days ago, I suddenly started receiving many messages (both from people I know and from strangers) on social media; they all asked me the same question: if I was supporting a candidate using a photo of myself and other migrant women in their campaign leaflet. It was a photo taken one year ago in a completely different context—an event celebrating diversity.
Using someone’s image without their knowledge and consent is so disrespectful! I felt abused. As a journalist, I am aware of the different messages that a seemingly simple and innocent photo can communicate. I felt like I was an object—a tool to influence people to vote for that person when I hadn’t chosen to be in a leaflet sent to thousands of houses in Central Sheffield. I don’t even live in this area of the city.
So, the clear message of this unfortunate situation is that politicians don’t include us in the debate and think they have the right to use our image for the benefit of their political campaign without even considering checking with us first.
I strongly support the Migrant Democracy Project’s “Our Home, Our Vote” campaign, which aims to give every resident the right to vote. Currently, only British, Irish, and Commonwealth citizens have the right to vote in the General Election.
The registration period for the upcoming election is now closed, but if you are reading this piece and are registered, please take part. If you are a migrant who has not registered to vote but feels tired of the government referring to you as a problem, please consider registering to vote next time.
I always felt silenced, frustrated, and ignored in political conversations. Finally, this has changed. However, in my case, I needed to get British citizenship to have the right to take part in the election.
In a democracy, we must include everyone. We must have space for all residents to express their views in the communities they live in. We are not invisible. There will never be a fair UK until everyone is treated fairly.
We are going through a very difficult moment in this country with the cost of living being very high and widespread hostility against people from the global majority. I am hoping for a change in the British government. We don’t need extortionate visa fees, flights to Rwanda, and speeches full of anger against migrants who aren’t even allowed to take part in the debate.
Regardless of who is in charge after the 4th of July, we need to make sure we keep up the fight for a more just immigration system.
Livia Barreira is a journalist, writer, and communication strategist from Brazil who lives in Sheffield, UK. She is the author of the book “Living in Sheffield: Our Journey as Migrant Women,” available at:https://www.livinginsheffield.co.uk/buy-the-book
