Dr. Lucy Potter

Last week I was in Glasgow for the @thesociologicalreview.org’s ECR Day and Annual Lecture 👏🏻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

There’s been a few changes to the Committee since our annual conference, so we thought it would be a good idea to introduce and reintroduce the people behind the scenes. Keep an eye out in the coming weeks as we’ll be sharing a little about each person and their role on the SocRel Committee

Faith to Faithless wins award for empowering Women’s Group A specialist Faith to Faithless group supporting women leaving high-control religions was recognised in London this week as part of the 2025 London Dangoor Awards, also known as the Faith & Belief For...

Leaving a high-control religion can be incredibly isolating, especially for women who've faced profound levels of religious coercion, abuse, & misogyny. This programme offers a vital space for freedom, solidarity, & rebuilding lives. A well-deserved award for our @faith2faithless.bsky.social team.

Britain’s asylum system is costly, chaotic, and uncaring - but it doesn’t have to be.

It’s time for evidence-based policy - fair to refugees, good for Britain. #TogetherWithRefugees

Read the report: togetherwithrefugees.org.uk/welcoming-gr...

Constant reassessment of belief-based claims means repeated efforts in ‘proving’ refugees are deserving of protection. If these policies go ahead, refugees will be constantly reminded of the trauma, discrimination and violence they have escaped - it’s dehumanising and intrusive.

Non-religious refugees already struggle to have their persecution recognised. Under temporary status, they could be told it’s ‘safe’ to return even when social hostility, blasphemy laws, or extremist groups still make return life-threatening. The policy is blind to lived reality.

What does ‘safe’ mean for people persecuted for their identites like the non-religious & LGBTQ+? Their risk doesn’t disappear because a country looks stable on paper.

Reassessing thousands of cases every 30 months won’t capture that nuance, and the Home Office is already overwhelmed.

The basic problem with the temporary refugee status policy - especially one lasting up to 20 years - is it leads to very few removals (based on Denmark's experience) but does significantly worsen integration.

Changing the Conversation on Asylum: A Messaging Guide Our new messaging guide looks at the methodology and messages that can help us carve out a new approach that will be successful in persuading the public that seeking safety is a fundamental human righ...

Seems like a good time (again) to share the guide I developed with @freedomfromtorture.bsky.social, which tells you how to talk about refugees and asylum in a way that actually convinces the undecided - based on testing 🧵 www.freedomfromtorture.org/changing-the...

The Government inherited an asylum system in meltdown, and had managed to at least get cases being processed again while ending the madness of the Rwanda plan. But the policies being announced today undermine all of that, making it harder for refugees to integrate and contribute to their communities

Nice article Mat! Same findings could be said of non-religious/humanist beliefs

How ‘campus climate’ affects students’ attitudes to people of different religions Visible diversity and critical conversations are important.

Latest from Kristin Aune, Matt Mayhew & myself on how the cultural climate on university campuses shapes interfaith relations. theconversation.com/how-campus-c... In @uk.theconversation.com

Asylum seekers, housed in hotels in Manchester, are reaching out in their own words to address the concerns of the local community.

Please take a minute to read their letter, & share it with the people in your life who need to hear the truth about the people they are protesting.

UN demands asylum protection for the non-religious A United Nations report has demanded that asylum systems worldwide must become fit for purpose for non-religious individuals, citing evidence submitted by Humanists UK. The UN Special Rapporteur on Fr...

📣 My research on apostate asylum claims has been cited in the UN’s Special Rapporteur FoRB interim report!

The report explores whether ‘people on the move’ are equally protected within human right provisions for freedom of religion or belief.

More here 👉🏻 humanists.uk/2025/10/23/u...

One in, one out, one in again. It is demonstrably not a success for either the government or the man who has had to risk his life twice because of this ridiculous scheme.

Help give every child a fair start in life. Support Humanists UK’s Every Child, Every Chance appeal today Humanists UK has launched its 2025 Faith Schools Fundraiser, ‘Every Child, Every Chance’, aiming to raise £40,000 on JustGiving to support its ongoing campaign for a fair, inclusive, and non-discrimin...

Most people are shocked to learn that ALL state-funded in schools are legally required to hold daily acts of worship.

We’re campaigning to change that – and replace worship with assemblies that all children can participate in.

Want to help us? Donate! humanists.uk/2025/10/14/h...

The Mediterranean continues to be a graveyard for people attempting to reach safety in Europe. 🧵

Victory on appeal: peaceful anti-religious protesting is not a crime.

BREAKING: A man who burnt a Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in London has had his conviction for religiously motivated harassment, alarm, or distress overturned on appeal by Southwark Crown Court. A huge victory for free speech and a blow against the revival of blasphemy laws. 🧵

Her research explores refugees who face persecution for leaving their religion & their experiences of the asylum claims process in the UK.

@lucypotter.bsky.social

#Research #Asylum #Sociology #Refugees #ESRC

Dr Lucy Potter has joined the Department of Sociology at the University of York as an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow, mentored by Dr Anna Strahn.

@lucypotter.bsky.social

#UniversityofYork #Sociology #Postdoctoral #Research

To everyone in Britain's Jewish Community: you are not alone. We will not let hate or those who spread it win. We stand with you.

On Yom Kippur many Jewish people in Britain have their phones off to mark the holy day.

As it ends at 723pm, some will hear the tragic Manchester news for the first time.

At that time, please join many of us to send a message of solidarity to British Jews.Thanks Together coalition for proposing.

Anti-blasphemy attacker who ‘lost his temper’ spared jail A man who attacked a Quran-burning protester with a knife in central London to ‘protect [his] religion’ has avoided jail time despite pleading guilty to the assault. Instead, Moussa Kadri, has been gi...

Blasphemy-linked violence is becoming an issue in the UK. Non-religious people seeking asylum/refugees are particularly vulnerable to facing criminal charges for expressing their beliefs, such as in anti-blasphemy protests.

humanists.uk/2025/09/24/a...

BBC Radio 4 - Beyond Belief, Faith versus Fear What is the ‘Christian’ response to migrants?

Interesting perspectives on Christian responses to immigration: ‘cultural’ (non-practising) Christians are among the most hostile. As far-right groups weaponise Christianity, I think all beliefs need to unite around shared values of human rights & protection.

Listen - www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

Very worrying for all supporters of a tolerant society to see the London rally this weekend. Besides the the many violent incidents recorded, there were so many blatantly racist signs and Christian nationalist slogans in the crowds. 🧵

The so-called "Unite the Kingdom" rally in London was a chilling sight for anyone who values tolerance. Extremists ripped up a flag that read “Secular Humanism”, a term long-demonised by the American far-right. To truly "Unite the Kingdom", we need to put an end to divisive, imported US rhetoric.

Image shows Keir Starmer, David Lammy and Yvette Cooper with the words: don't be genocide deniers.

BREAKING: A UN inquiry has concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

All eyes are now on the UK Government who must stop indulging in genocide denial.

It must fulfil its legal and moral responsibility by taking immediate, decisive steps to prevent and punish genocide.

Now they're coming after families If today’s announcement felt like another crossing of the Rubicon, that's because it is.

They tried students and they tried care workers, but that wasn't enough. Now they're coming for families.

My impassioned thoughts on today's sickening family reunion announcement.

open.substack.com/pub/notanoth...

Today Nick Ferrari asked if treaties like the ECHR & the Refugee Convention that were drawn up in the wake of WWII are still relevant to modern Britain.

I said the context of racial hatred towards Muslim immigrants now echoes the hatred of Jewish immigrants in the 20th century. We need these laws.

The coverage of the Reform plans today really needs to reflect what is being proposed. The plan isn't for a duty to remove people who "arrive" without leave - but for anyone in the UK who doesn't have it. It would be Windrush on steroids.