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Asylum seekers are being
diverted away from Swansea in a bid to reassure
local communities after the recent alleged murder of
an Iraqi Kurd.
The Home Office had been due to send asylum seekers
to the city, but was put off by police and local
organisations.
Kalan Kawa Karim died after an attack in the city
centre last month.
There are currently about 600 asylum seekers in
Swansea.
But when the Home Office wanted to send large
additional numbers to Swansea from other parts of
the UK last week, the Swansea Bay Race Equality
Council (REC) and the police advised against it.
Police said that, since the death of Kalan Karim,
there has been concern in minority communities and
they needed to adopt a cautious approach on race
issues.
"Swansea became the focus of intense media attention
during the time of the alleged murder and in the
weeks following," said Acting Chief Superintendent
Cliff Filer.
"It is for this reason that police and the Swansea
Bay Race Equality Council want to ensure that the
existing minority ethnic communities here are
comfortable and confident before we welcome
additional asylum seekers to the county."
Taha Idris, the director of Swansea REC, said extra
numbers would not currently get the support they
need.
"We need to make sure we have the capacity and the
support mechanisms available to welcome those asylum
seekers," he said.
"We feel we don't have the amount of resources
available to have additional numbers of asylum
seekers being brought into this area at this moment
in time."
'Working hard'
Mr Filer added that all the agencies involved in the
dispersal of asylum seekers had "agreed on the most
appropriate way to manage the dispersal of asylum
seekers into Swansea over the coming weeks".
"This is with the aim of ensuring that there is
minimal impact to the residents of Swansea and that
the asylum seekers are provided with the most
appropriate levels of support."
He added the force was "working hard to reassure and
support minority ethnic communities".
Earlier this month, about 1,000 protesters took part
in a march against racism in Swansea.
It came weeks after 29-year-old Kalan Kawa Karim was
attacked outside a city centre pub in the early
hours of 6 September.
A 26-year-old man has appeared in court charged with
the murder of Mr Karim.
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