Glasgow to appoint 'refugee tsar'

Davoud Rasul Naseri was stabbed after Firsat Yildiz's death

Glasgow City Council is to announce the appointment of a special official in charge of reducing tension between local residents and asylum seekers.

The appointment comes a day after Home Secretary David Blunkett ordered an urgent review of the way asylum seekers are dispersed across the UK.

The individual will not be a trouble-shooter parachuted into Sighthill as an instant solution to the problems

Glasgow City Council

Last week a Kurdish refugee, Firsat Dag, was stabbed to death in the Sighthill area of the Glasgow and two days later an Iranian man was also attacked.

A council spokeswoman said the new position was not one of a "troubleshooter", nor would it be restricted to the Sighthill area.

Vigil

On Monday a campaign group will hold a vigil outside the Home Office in memory of 22-year-old Mr Dag.

Meeleena Beeyum, from the campaign group "Speak out Against Racism - Defend Asylum Seekers", welcomed the government review.

She said many asylum seekers had fled dangerous situations, and "should not come to Britain to have to face racist attacks or even murder".

The blame of low level of benefit and bad housing should not lie with people who have just arrived in the country

Meeleena Beeyum

She said it was unjust that some communities were blaming asylum seekers for draining public resources, when it was the task of government to ensure there were enough funds for communities.

Ms Beeyum said: "The blame of low level of benefit and bad housing should not lie with people who have just arrived in the country.

"The blame should lie with the authorities if benefits are not enough for the population at large."

The appointment of the new 'tsar' in Glasgow follows last Monday's meeting between race campaigners and civic leaders, led by council leader Charles Gordon and the city's Lord Provost, Alex Mosson.

Fatal attack

Mr Gordon later announced the authority's intention to appoint the "mediator" after a second asylum seeker, 22-year-old Davoud Rasul Naseri, from Iran, was stabbed on the same troubled estate on Tuesday night.

Speaking ahead of Monday's announcement by the council, a spokeswoman said the new co-ordinator "would look at the whole issue of resources provided by the council for the communities in which asylum seekers live".

"The individual will not be a trouble-shooter parachuted into Sighthill as an instant solution to the problems faced by people there."

A number of asylum seekers have been attacked

Firsat, who was placed in Sighthill under the government's national asylum support system, was walking home from a restaurant in Glasgow city centre with a friend when he was attacked.

Police are looking for two white men aged between 19 and 21 in connection with the attack, one of whom was wearing a distinctive hooded red jacket.

Strathclyde Police said there was a "random element" to the attack and it was keeping an open mind about the motive, but had not ruled out the possibility of a racist killing.