“My Work Is Loving the World”: Leeds Demonstration Highlights Community Support for Refugees

“My work is loving the world.” For those who gathered at a Stand Up To Racism demonstration outside Leeds Art Gallery on Saturday 10 October, Mary Oliver’s words reflected the support offered to refugees and asylum seekers across the city. The protest brought together a coalition of organisations including UNISON, Leeds Trades Union Council and Palestine Solidarity Campaign, among others. 

Demonstrators carried banners reading “Unity Over Division” and “Refugees Welcome”, calling for a more inclusive approach to immigration. Around 20 University of Leeds students took part in the demonstration in support of Stand Up To Racism. Students from societies including Leeds Socialist Workers Student Society, Green Action and Black Fem Soc, and others joined together, marching from Parkinson Steps to Leeds Art Gallery in solidarity with the protest. 

For Anne Callerman, a volunteer with Conversation Club Leeds and a member of Stand Up To Racism, Oliver’s quote reflects the work happening across Leeds to support migrants. 

Callerman stressed the importance of young people creating what she describes as a “‘visual presence to show people who care’”. In what she describes as an age of “‘misinformation and disinformation’”, Anne sees Leeds’ student community as an increasingly important voice.

That spirit of “loving the world”, she says, shows up in organisations across the city, including Leeds City Council’s Migrant Access Project, which works alongside groups such as Conversation Club Leeds, Empowered Her English and Bahar Women’s Association to help migrants and asylum seekers navigate life in Leeds. 

The Migrant Access Project (MAP), relaunched in 2024, helps migrants and asylum seekers settle in Leeds by guiding them through local services, laws, and social policy. The aim is to help people ‘navigate’ a new life in the city. 

Dawn, a volunteer with Bahar Women’s Association, one of several charities supporting asylum seekers and refugees in Leeds, offered a grassroots perspective. She has been involved since 2010 and spoke passionately about the issue.

She argues that:

“Human beings have a responsibility to go to a place safely”. 

She noted that the charity’s work would not be possible without support from Leeds City Council, which provides vital funding and a place for the group to meet and support community members. 

Dawn’s message was ultimately one of compassion. She spoke of her hope for a future in which Leeds’ diverse communities can live together in harmony. 

The demonstration took place alongside a counter-protest organised by Stand Up To Leeds and All for England, which opposed illegal immigration. The presence of both groups led to a large police presence across the city centre, reflecting the increasingly polarised debate over migration. 

Yet for many attendees, the focus remained on community rather than division. Amid demonstrations, speeches and competing viewpoints.

Words by Niamh Roberts