Fury as woke councils host pro-migrant 'family-friendly' film events for 'Refugee Week'

Woke councils have been caught screening pro-migrant films for family-friendly "Refugee Week" events.

One film, portraying illegal migrants as patchwork polar bears, has been shown at "suitable for all" screenings across London.

The film, titled just "Migrants", features an adult and child polar bear who flee their iceberg home because of climate change.

The two bears then arrive in a foreign land, where they are attacked by the natives, hurt by "police", then rounded up and deported.

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The younger bear eventually washes up on a beach, mirroring the famous image of Alan Kurdi, the two-year-old boy who was found dead on the shore in Turkey.

Seen by more than two million people on YouTube alone, the silent film, originally released in 2020, is one of four pro-migrant short films included in the Refugee Week’s Film Festival lineup.

Its creators have described it as a "a story about the issue of migration - but with a global warming theme layered on top of it".

A screening of Migrants by South Gloucestershire Council, was cancelled "for safety reasons" after a planned protest against another film.

A World Not Ours, about Palestinians in a refugee camp, contained a scene where a boy said holidays with a best friend who had "been in the Palestine Liberation Organisation since he was seven" was "better than going to Disneyland".

The planned protest was organised by online activist The Patriotic Bristolian, who said the nature of the films raised "serious concerns with counter-terrorism".

"British communities have had enough of councils and government bodies pushing this type of content while ignoring the very real risks and pressures being placed on local people," the account said.

GB News can reveal that several London councils managed to screen "Migrants" for Refugee Week - held in the third week of June.

This year's Refugee Week had a theme of courage, with children urged to "build understanding, empathy and awareness of refugee experiences - learning that stays with them long into adulthood".

Labour-led Islington Borough Council showed the film on June 16, while Green-run Waltham Forest Borough Council promoted a similar event days later.

Universities also pitched into host screenings of the films.

Queen Mary, University of London held a screening in partnership with the Tower Hamlets Resettlement and Migration Team.

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The University of Worcester held a screening on June 16 as part of a collaboration with Worcester Welcomes, an organisation which gives "safe spaces" for asylum seekers and refugees to socialise.

William Yarwood, campaign director at the TaxPayers' Alliance told GB News: "Council taxpayers should not be forced to bankroll political film screenings dressed up as community events.

"Town halls should focus on fixing roads and collecting bins, not pushing ideological messages.

"Councils must reveal the full cost and explain why residents were made to pay for it."

Feature films screened at taxpayer-funded events also included fiction film Dreamers, about two queer illegal Nigerian migrants in Britain.

The film, partly funded by the BBC, was hailed as the "second Black lesbian film to be in cinemas in the UK" by its director, who hoped to shed light on the asylum process.

Also shown as part of the Refugee Week short film lineup was Aziza, a film about a Syrian refugee in Lebanon teaching his wife to drive.

Hayat, about an Eritrean migrant in Australia, Infancia Desterrada, a documentary about child refugees, and Tskaltubo, a documentary about refugees living in a sanatorium, were all shown too.

A spokesman for South Gloucestershire Council said: “Our decision to cancel the in-person film screenings scheduled for Refugee Week on 16, 18 and 19 June was taken on safety grounds following information we received about a planned protest linked to the events.

"While we understand this is very disappointing, the safety of attendees, staff and partners is our top priority. The films remain available to watch online on scheduled dates, and we hope this option allows interested people to engage with this one aspect of Refugee Week.

“We are grateful for the interest shown and remain committed to creating future opportunities for communities to come together around these important stories. We will continue to celebrate Refugee Week and the diversity within our communities, including the contributions, creativity and resilience of people from different backgrounds."

Islington Borough Council and Waltham Forest Borough Council have been approached for comment.

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