Back to top

Profiting from War, Punishing the Survivors

Stop DSEI Arms Fair

Profiting from War, Punishing the Survivors

The UK is one of the world’s biggest arms dealers, profiting from wars that drive millions from their homes. But when those displaced seek safety here, they are dehumanised and branded as ‘illegal’. Sarri Bater from PPU Council explains the deep links between the arms trade, forced migration and UK immigration policy - and why we need to resist and dismantle this inhumane system.

A growing body of statistical and anecdotal evidence reveals that many refugees and asylum seekers are fleeing crises directly or indirectly linked to British foreign policy, commerce, and the arms industry. UK arms exports - valued at over £17 billion and frequently directed toward states with poor human rights records - have fuelled conflicts that drive mass displacement. Yet rather than recognising this responsibility, successive UK governments, embedded in discriminatory immigration rationalities, have pursued policies that criminalise those seeking refuge.

This punitive approach intensified in 2012 with the introduction of the 'hostile environment', a suite of immigration policies designed to make life so difficult for undocumented migrants that they would voluntarily leave. These policies extend border enforcement into everyday life, deputising landlords, employers, doctors and teachers as immigration enforcers. The result is a climate of surveillance, fear and exclusion.

In 2024, the top five countries of origin for people crossing in small boats were Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, Vietnam and Eritrea. These are nations shaped by complex legacies of conflict, often rooted in colonialism, Cold War politics, and the global arms economy - an economy in which the UK is a leading actor. Between 2013 and 2023, the UK licensed over £20 billion in arms sales to Saudi Arabia, a country leading a coalition accused of war crimes in Yemen. British weapons, including aircraft and bombs, have been used in attacks on civilian infrastructure. Other export recipients include Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, and Turkey - countries with widely documented human rights violations.

This pattern is not incidental, it is systemic. The UK arms industry is deeply embedded in elite power networks and supported by government through export guarantees, defence partnerships, and diplomatic backing. Though marketed as supporting security and economic growth, these exports have devastating consequences: civilian deaths, displacement, trauma, and long-term instability.

Yet when survivors of these crises reach the UK, they are treated as threats. The Illegal Migration Act (2023) and the Rwanda Act (2024) classify many arrivals as ‘inadmissible,’ denying them the right to claim asylum. These laws authorise detention and deportation, turning survivors of violence into objects of suspicion and fear.

This logic reflects a colonial pattern: extract resources and capital, export violence, and then deny sanctuary to those displaced. The very systems that generate displacement now criminalise the displaced, branding them as ‘illegal’ or ‘invaders,’ rather than recognising them as survivors of global injustice. The Nationality and Borders Act (2022), Illegal Migration Act (2023) and Rwanda Act (2024) enshrine this approach in law, violating the spirit of the Refugee Convention by punishing those who arrive via irregular routes - often the only option available.

Beyond the Border - Wider Impacts on Society

The hostile environment doesn’t only harm those with direct experiences of migration, it undermines public safety and social trust more broadly. Investigations by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services have shown that police data-sharing with the Home Office deters victims and witnesses from reporting crimes, including domestic abuse. In response, organisations such as Liberty have called for a statutory ‘firewall’ to separate public services from immigration enforcement.

The ‘Right to Rent’ scheme has produced racial discrimination in housing. Research by the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants found that even British citizens without passports have faced barriers due to racial profiling. In the health system, NHS charging policies and data-sharing have led to people avoiding necessary care, which threatens public health and exacerbates health inequities. The British Medical Association has condemned these policies for undermining disease control and patient care.

Public institutions - healthcare, education, housing, policing - have been co-opted into enforcing immigration control. The Windrush scandal revealed how lawful residents and British citizens were stripped of rights due to this enforcement-first culture. The result is a chilling effect on community cooperation and civic participation, undermining collective wellbeing.

Normalised rhetoric within politics and media which constructs immigration as a threat, of course fuels division and mistrust. Rhetoric and policies deeply damage social cohesion. Research from the British Future think tank shows that many UK adults rarely engage with people from different backgrounds.

The dehumanising discourse and threatened experiences takes a toll on mental health, particularly among ethnic minority communities. Scholars like Kalwant Bhopal have documented the psychological impact of systemic exclusion and xenophobic discourse. All this despite earlier reports - such as the Ouseley and Ritchie Reports - warning of the dangers of segregation in housing, education, and public life, and the ways this impairs social trust and integration. When public policy promotes exclusion instead of inclusion, it erodes the relationships that hold communities together.

Dismantling Systems of Harm

The dehumanising rationalisation of immigration and the ‘hostile environment' are not policy failures. This is a deliberate system rooted in empire, racial capitalism and militarised borders. It upholds a global order in which war and displacement are profitable for some and devastating for others. It criminalises the people most harmed by conflict, inequality, and ecological collapse, while shielding those who profit from them.

The UK’s immigration policies are shaped by histories of imperialism and present-day economic interests in militarism and security. They operate through racial hierarchies that decide who belongs and who is expendable. Refugees are punished for seeking safety, while the systems that forced them to flee go unchallenged.

We must confront the broader structures that produce the 'hostile environment' and the criminalisation of survivors: war economies, extractive capitalism, and racialised nationalism. Justice demands more than policy reform - it requires reparative action, sanctuary and solidarity with those displaced by systems of domination.

True safety is not built by militarising borders, but by investing in care, dignity and the protection of life. Justice means welcoming those we once displaced, shifting from punishment to repair and reimagining belonging as something shared, not conditional.

One of the world's largest arms fairs - DSEI - is once again taking place in London next month (9-12 September). It's crucial we come together to resist the arms fair and make our voices of opposition heard. Please join the PPU on ‘Migrant Justice’ day, Thursday 11th September, outside the DSEI arms fair, for a vigil in memory of all victims of war. Let us know if you're coming by emailing mail@ppu.org.uk. You can find out about the wider protests against DSEI here.