It’s a warm early July evening. One of the many things Brighton does well is sunsets, especially along the seafront. A promenade and cycle path runs east to west along along the city seafront.
Grassy lawns and parks, interspaced with cafe’s, beech huts and spots to hang out.
I’m out on a bike ride, from the Marina, up to Shoreham docks and back.
At the Shoreham end the beach is quiet. We’re well out of the city here, the road runs between the fenced off docks and the beach. There are a few other cyclists and the odd runner. Small groups dotted along the beach have whole sections to themselves. There’s an Arabic speaking group having a BBQ, a bit further along a South Asian family are doing the same. I pause to look at the sea. Nearby a group switch between Polish and English, they’re listening to what sounds like South American dance music, one of them is talking enthusiastically about it, saying it’s made by a German producer. Heading back toward town, there’s small group playing football, in the strips of varying national teams. A group of women in hijabs bike past, one of them waves. It’s a common cyclist thing, especially out away from the town centre, a quick wave or nod of acknowledgement and a hello to fellow cyclists.
This is Brighton at it’s best, we’re all here together relaxing, it feels comfortable. I mention this because it’s in contrast to the to the experience many went thorough earlier in June.
Refugee Week started on Sunday 14th June. Events in Brighton commenced with a shared community afternoon at the Unitarian Church, organised collaboratively with Voices in Exile, the church and other community groups, including We are the Tree. The day before, Saturday 13th far right antagonists had attempted to march through Brighton. Under the banner of Carnival Against Fascism, thousands came out to stop them. Laila’s reflections on the day can be read here. It’s important to acknowledge the time and effort the community response took. Weekly meetings and hours of individual and collective work went into the anti fascist response. The threat of the far right caused considerable distress to many in the community. The joint event on the 14th was a good chance to catch up with friends who came to Brighton seeking safety from war and oppression around the globe. Some said they’d been afraid to come into town on the 13th, although added they felt reassured when they saw how Brighton responded and stopped the far right from marching.
The event at the Unitarian church was a lovely shared community afternoon. I’d been worried that some of the far right might have caused disruption, but thankfully they were long gone and we got back to doing what Brighton does. Bashir played some songs, people danced and chatted, kids played.
The theme for national Refugee Week 2026 was courage, which is discussed on the official website.
“Through art, stories, and community, we celebrate the courage that lives within us all – and how connection helps it grow.”
There were numerous events in the city through the week. Dina and Polina played some Ukrainian songs at the Rosehill as part of an event there.
Our main event was at the Jubilee Library on Saturday the 20th. The day was kindly funded by Brighton and Hove City Council, and was also used to announce the city council being awarded the Council of Sanctuary award from the national City of Sanctuary organisation.
https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/news/2026/celebrating-our-council-sanctuary-award
The music commenced immediately after the awards, with people actively enjoying all the groups, dancing and clapping along. Between sets people had the opportunity to chat with local community organisations. Feedback from the day was overwhelmingly positive. Thanks to all who supported.
Full details of all the musicians and community groups involved can be found in our previous post.
On the Sunday Svitlo Amal played at Hastings Sanctuary Festival and were joined by some of the participants from Eastbourne Sanctuary cafe, singing along to their songs. I went to Worthing Festival with Slavic Voices, Kourosh and finished the week as we’d started, with a lovely set from Bashir.
