Organisations held events throughout Islington last week to celebrate Refugee Week, the theme of which this year was community as a superpower.
According to its website, Refugee Week, which this year was held from 16th – 22nd June, is the world’s largest arts and culture festival that celebrates the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking asylum.
Amongst the events in Islington to celebrate Refugee Week, was a day held by Islington Refugee and Migrant Forum (IRMF) in partnership with Islington Council, which included talks from the Mayor and Councillors, as well as music from Suna Alan, a Kurdish Alevi singer based in London, and the Arfoud Brothers and Sisters who blend Sahraoui music with jazz, Afrobeat, West African and Brazilian sounds.
Jemima Hill, the Development Outreach Officer at Islington Refugee and Migrant Forum, said: “Events like this are all about bringing together different parts of the community.”
The IRMF is a second-tier organisation, meaning it does not do frontline work.
Instead, it works with other refugee and migrant organisations based in Islington, supporting them with their work, including aiding fundraising applications, providing training and helping capacity building.
Hill said: “Our purpose is to be a voice for all the different organisations because there are quite literally hundreds of different communities living in the borough and we are here to unite them together and bring some power to what they are saying by emphasising it is a collective opinion.”
According to the council’s website, Islington – which has been recognised as a Borough of Sanctuary by the UK charity City of Sanctuary since 2023 – is home to more than 800 people seeking asylum who are staying in hotels, many of whom have been living there for more than two years.
Sawsan Salim, Director of the Kurdish and Middle Eastern Women’s Organisation, said: “At Islington, we are proud to stand alongside refugee families – not just as helpers, but as neighbours, friends, and partners in building something better.
“When people are forced to flee their homes – because of war, persecution, or natural disaster – it is not just geography they cross.
“They leave behind loved ones, languages, jobs and identities.
“And when they arrive in a new place, what they need most is not just shelter – it is belonging.”
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 123.2 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide at the end of 2024 as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations, or events seriously damaging public order.
Dashty Jamal from the Federation of Iraqi Refugees based in Islington reiterated why Refugee Week, and events like the one held by the IRMF, are so important.
He said: “It is about people who are human beings who have run away because they do not have a choice.
“This is a day to remember those people and hear their voices about their stories, their lives and their experiences.”
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