'We will kill you': Threat to lawyer amid reports immigration centres could be targeted by rioters

By Westminster Producer, Elisa Menendez

“Around five o'clock, I received a phone call from an individual.

“A very short phone call, telling me that I'm what's wrong with this country, that they know where I work, and they'll be coming for me.

“They said: ‘We will kill you, son.’ Then they hung up.”

Qays Sediqi, an immigration solicitor helping asylum seekers, is no stranger to receiving abusive calls from unknown numbers hurling racial slurs at him. But this call - made on Monday after a weekend of violent unrest across the country - has “shaken” him more than the others.

“This time around it felt different,” Mr Sediqi, a former child refugee from Afghanistan, told ITV News from a location where he’s “laying low”.

Police sources today said they are aware of "more than 100 planned events" expected to take place this evening in the UK, led by far-right rioters, as well as at least 30 counter-demonstrations.

Mr Sediqi has been forced to work away from the office and avoid sleeping in his own home to protect himself.

'I was shell shocked' - Lawyer, Qays Sediqi

“That’s my next fear – will they find out where I live? Will they find out my personal phone number?” he questioned. “To be honest with you I haven’t slept… it's just all these thoughts going through your head at 1,000mph.”

He said the measures he’s had to take to keep safe, while still trying to work and support his clients who are also fearful, have felt like “all my limbs have been cut off and I’m supposed to run a marathon”.

“I feel immobilised by this - not just physically, and practically, but also emotionally,” he added. “It's not just myself. It's my family, friends and loved ones who are also affected.”

Since the violence broke out last week, Mr Sediqi, who is Muslim, said this is the most unsafe he and his family have felt in the 17 years they’ve lived in the UK.

And today - a day when the addresses of immigration advice centres and law practices have been listed as potential targets this evening by apparent far-right groups - is the most unsafe the lawyer has felt doing his job.

“I was very concerned when I saw it [the list]… But what was more concerning was that many people seem to believe that it was fake and saying ‘they're liars’,” said Mr Sediqi.

“This does happen and people's lives are being affected by this. People's lives are being put in danger. They shouldn't be taking this with a grain of salt.”

Despite fearing for his safety, the lawyer is determined not to be silenced.

“I don’t want to hide in the shadows and make them feel they have won,” he said.

'They've seen terrible things already, but some said that it was as bad as what they've experienced in their home countries': Refugee Council CEO Enver Solomon on asylum seekers who were trapped inside a Rotherham hotel as rioters smashed windows

The Director of Public Prosecutions said the publication of immigration law firms as potential targets for the disorder could be considered for terrorism charges, while the Law Society and the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association have called on the government to protect those in the profession.

Police officers say they are monitoring reports of the possible gatherings and threats against immigration law specialists, while Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley insisted “we will not let the immigration asylum system be intimidated."

More than 400 people have been arrested so far for involvement in riots which began a week ago.

Three were jailed on Wednesday for their parts in violent disorder at Liverpool Crown Court, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer sharing the news on X, writing: "This is the swift action we’re taking. If you provoke violent disorder on our streets or online, you will face the full force of the law."

The Refugee Council’s CEO, Enver Solomon, told ITV News his organisation is having to put in place extra measures to protect his teams and “work harder” to support and advise refugees who are “very concerned and anxious” about their safety.

Staff are being encouraged not to work alone, he said, while the organisation has had to report locations where staff work that could be potential targets.

“We’ve had to seek a request from the police to be recognised as a potential at-risk site so that results in a prompt, timely, emergency response if we need one,” Mr Solomon said.

His team was working at the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham when hundreds of rioters gathered outside on Sunday smashing windows, starting fires and hurling missiles where more than 200 asylum seekers were trapped inside.

Mr Solomon told of how some refugees barricaded themselves in their rooms fearful for their lives, and quickly had to think about what they needed to do to protect themselves.

“They were incredibly frightened, terrified,” he said. “Some of them have never witnessed such scenes before - such anger, such violence directed personally against them. And remember, these are very traumatised people - people who have fled the Taliban in Afghanistan, and the Civil War in Sudan.

“They've seen terrible things already, but some of them were saying that it was as bad as what they've experienced in their home countries.”

The Refugee Council has been calling on the government to put all necessary security measures and police protection in place “so we don't see a repeat of what happened in Rotherham”.

“We are determined to keep working… and we’re determined to stand alongside refugees to continue to provide our services across England,” insisted Mr Solomon.

"The rioters, the people carrying out the violence and the disorder did not represent this country," he added. "It's really important that the message goes out loud and clear that this is not who we are as a nation."

A Home Office spokesperson said: “We utterly condemn the recent public disorder targeting asylum seekers, immigration lawyers, our staff and buildings.

“The violent attacks we have seen at hotels include attempted arson, deliberate blocking of fire escapes, bricks to windows and verbal and physical abuse intended to intimidate our staff and those in our care.

“Anyone taking part in this criminal activity, online or on our streets, will face the full force of the law.”

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