Language use is important. When discussing asylum seekers and refugees it becomes even more so. It doesn't matter if you have good intentions, the wrong choice of language can have disastrous repercussions, and this piece is littered with wrong choices. 1/
theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
The EU and UK take proportionally a small number of refugees compared to the rest of the world, 86% of refugees are hosted in developing nations. Language like "uncontrolled migration" "untold numbers", "surge" etc give a false impression of scale. 2/ 
It's particularly important that you are also clear about what you are saying. The overall number of asylum applications in the UK is actually slightly down on previous years at present. Yes, there have been more channel crossings, but not "record numbers trying to enter...". 3/
One thing which those pushing for EU and UK to take even fewer refugees do is "weaponise" and "securitise" them. They frame them as a "threat", "security risk" etc. Might I suggest therefore that calling the movement of people "hybrid war" is not helpful. 4/
Again, proportionally EU and UK take fairly few refugees in the grand scheme, so framing it as a "struggle" is singularly unhelpful, and plays into the same type of anti-asylum rhetoric which says "we need to focus on our own first". 5/
Language is too important to get wrong when talking about refugees and asylum seekers. EU, and proposed UK, policies risk lives. The only crisis here is a failure of both to properly allocate resources and focus them on support, which would benefit everyone. 6/
Framing the debate in terms of numbers dehumanises those trying to seek safety and diminishes their experiences. Using terminology associated with war and threats just plays to those who would see asylum seekers be left to drown. 7/
We know EU countries, with support of EU officials, have carried out attacks against asylum seekers. We know UK is pushing laws which threaten the international refugee regime. We don't need language which makes out refugees are a threat, particularly when it's false. 8/
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