About 25 people picket the Daily Mail on 18th June 2002 in opposition to the racist treatment of asylum seekers in this and many other newspapers.
The turnout was a bit disappointing but the Mail's management overreacted sending most staff home half an hour before the picket began and laying on extra security. In general the picket was well received, including amongst Mail workers. Banners declaring "no borders" and "real lives, not media lies" were displayed (indymedia took pics which should be on here soon) and the following leaflet was distributed:
"‘the way stateless Jews from Germany are pouring in from every port of this country is becoming an outrage…’ In these words, Mr Herbert Metcalf, the Old Street magistrate, yesterday referred to the number of aliens entering the country through the ‘back door’ – a problem to which the Daily Mail has repeatedly pointed."
Daily Mail, 20 August 1938.

“It was 8.10pm on Christmas Day when the first mob struck. There were around 150 of them, howling and yelling as they made their way to the French mouth of the Channel Tunnel.”
Daily Mail, 27 December 2001

"Anarchy" screamed the headline in the Daily Mail, but this was not the proclamation of a new world or even a report about Mayday. As the story revealed, it referred to the fact that the French Authorities had scaled down the number of guards on the Channel Tunnel. The following day’s front page pictured a few frightened looking asylum seekers emerging from the tunnel, following their dangerous journey.
To say that the Daily Mail is obsessed with asylum seekers would be an understatement, but this is nothing new for the paper. Indeed they have a consistent record on writing racist and inflammatory articles. From their sympathetic coverage of the policies of both Hitler and Mosley to their overtly anti-immigrant stance against refugees they have articles they have maintained their reputation as a racist and nationalist rag.
Of course, the Daily Mail is not alone in taking this racist position. Every day the press carries stories suggesting ‘we’ are being ‘flooded’ by immigrants and ‘swamped’ by ‘bogus’ asylum seekers. Politicians from across the political spectrum contribute to this mythical picture when it suits them, and then hypocritically condemn ‘the other side’ for doing the same. ‘Illegal’ immigrants have become the scapegoats of Europe, blamed for all capitals failings and portrayed as a threat to the very fabric of society.
Then, having created a climate of fear and distrust the media and political parties pose a simple solution: more immigration control. Members of European Governments and opposition parties compete to devise more and more oppressive measures: detention centres, vouchers, providing less than poverty levels of support, faster and mass deportations, removal of appeal rights, increased surveillance and cross border state co-operation.
What is not discussed in the Daily Mail is the causal relationship between state’s policies and the arrival of refugees and other migrants. This connection is most obvious in considering the effects of the (continuing) bombing of Afghanistan and Iraq. However other state policies also adversely affect the lives of people around the world in many other ways causing them to migrate. Wages and social spending are kept to a minimum to maximise profits. Repressive and racist regimes are supported in order to maintain a compliant cheap labour force. Yet, contrary to the racist propaganda, the vast majority of refugees go to neighbouring countries with less than 1% of the world’s total coming to the UK.
The media focuses on the differing national interests which result in disagreements between European states over how border controls should operate. However co-operation continues to strengthen the borders of ‘Fortress Europe’ and increase control over the movement of people. These states share the common aim of reducing the numbers of people entering to seek asylum, whilst at the same time enabling restricted and regulated entry of workers according to the needs of European business.
In contrast we want a world in which the movement of people is not controlled by states and determined by the needs of capitalism. We want a world without borders in which we are all free to travel and live where we want according to our needs and desires. The world belongs to humanity as a whole and the destruction of all borders is a necessary step towards the creation of a world human community.