Poster campaign to celebrate immigrants launched in UK

A campaign to celebrate the positive impact of immigrants in the UK through a series of posters and billboards has been launched.

A campaign has been launched in the UK to celebrate the positive contribution of immigrants to Britain, in a bid to stamp out what some activists call rampant racial vilification in politics and the press.

The Movement against Xenophobia has raised more than $100,000 through crowdfunding which has allowed the group to create a series of posters and billboards depicting individual immigrants working in the UK along with a description of their occupation and featuring the words ‘I am an immigrant.”

Each migrant has been photographed by Vogue photographer Philip Volkers.

Mary Sithole, one of the fifteen immigrants who will feature in the campaign, moved to Britain from Zimbabwe 20 years ago and now works as a train driver. 

"At the moment the political climate isn't really being positive about immigrants and I just want to make the atmosphere more positive," she said.

Mary Sithole, one of the 15 immigrants to feature in the campaign poses for the photoshoot

With the upcoming General election set for May 7, immigration is a key political battleground. 

British Prime Minister David Cameron has pledged to cut net annual migration to “tens of thousands”, while the Tories and Labour have also promised to slash the number of immigrants to the UK. 

According to the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, the "anti-immigration" dialogue has only served to increase xenophobia.

Saira Grant, JCWI’s legal and policy director, says there has been a rise in negative rhetoric and attitudes towards immigrants in the country. 

"Immigrants are blamed for a lot of things - for taking jobs, for low paid wages, for taking houses," she said.

The posters will be displayed in all London Underground and National Rail stations

She said the campaign will help counter provocative election language by putting names and faces to immigrants who have helped to enrich British society.

"People are sick and tired of listening to the scapegoating of immigrants because let's not forget, immigrants are friends, are colleagues, are lovers. We just hope by giving a face to this category of immigrants we will humanise the debate a little bit." 

The posters have noe been unveiled on all London Underground and National Railways stations.