Why We Went Undercover to Reveal Criminal Activity in the Kurdish Community

A pair of Kurdish-background men consented to work covertly to uncover a operation behind unlawful High Street enterprises because the lawbreakers are negatively affecting the image of Kurdish people in the United Kingdom, they explain.

The pair, who we are calling Ali and Saman, are Kurdish-origin reporters who have both resided legally in the United Kingdom for years.

Investigators uncovered that a Kurdish-linked illegal enterprise was operating small shops, hair salons and car washes across the UK, and wanted to learn more about how it operated and who was involved.

Prepared with secret recording devices, Ali and Saman posed as Kurdish-origin refugee applicants with no right to be employed, attempting to buy and operate a mini-mart from which to distribute illegal cigarettes and vapes.

The investigators were able to uncover how straightforward it is for someone in these circumstances to start and run a business on the commercial area in public view. The individuals participating, we learned, pay Kurdish individuals who have UK citizenship to register the businesses in their names, enabling to mislead the officials.

Ali and Saman also managed to discreetly film one of those at the core of the organization, who asserted that he could remove government fines of up to £60k imposed on those hiring unauthorized employees.

"I aimed to play a role in exposing these unlawful activities [...] to declare that they don't speak for our community," states one reporter, a ex- refugee applicant himself. Saman entered the United Kingdom illegally, having escaped from Kurdistan - a region that straddles the borders of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not officially recognized as a nation - because his well-being was at danger.

The journalists acknowledge that tensions over unauthorized immigration are elevated in the United Kingdom and say they have both been worried that the investigation could worsen tensions.

But Ali says that the unauthorized working "harms the whole Kurdish-origin community" and he believes compelled to "reveal it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Additionally, the journalist says he was concerned the reporting could be exploited by the extreme right.

He explains this particularly affected him when he discovered that radical right activist a prominent activist's Unite the Kingdom protest was happening in the capital on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was working undercover. Placards and banners could be seen at the gathering, showing "we demand our country returned".

The reporters have both been monitoring online reaction to the investigation from inside the Kurdish community and say it has caused strong frustration for certain individuals. One social media comment they found read: "How can we find and find [the undercover reporters] to attack them like dogs!"

A different called for their families in Kurdistan to be harmed.

They have also encountered accusations that they were spies for the UK government, and traitors to fellow Kurdish people. "We are not spies, and we have no desire of hurting the Kurdish-origin population," one reporter says. "Our objective is to uncover those who have harmed its image. Both journalists are proud of our Kurdish identity and deeply concerned about the actions of such individuals."

The majority of those applying for refugee status say they are escaping political discrimination, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the Refugee Workers Cultural Association, a organization that helps asylum seekers and asylum seekers in the UK.

This was the situation for our covert reporter Saman, who, when he first came to the UK, experienced challenges for many years. He explains he had to live on less than £20 a per week while his asylum claim was processed.

Asylum seekers now receive about forty-nine pounds a per week - or £9.95 if they are in shelter which includes food, according to official policies.

"Realistically speaking, this isn't adequate to maintain a respectable existence," states Mr Avicil from the RWCA.

Because asylum seekers are generally prevented from working, he feels numerous are open to being taken advantage of and are effectively "forced to labor in the unofficial market for as low as three pounds per hour".

A representative for the Home Office stated: "The government are unapologetic for denying asylum seekers the authorization to work - granting this would establish an motivation for individuals to come to the United Kingdom illegally."

Asylum applications can take a long time to be resolved with nearly a third requiring over one year, according to government figures from the end of March this year.

The reporter explains working illegally in a vehicle cleaning service, barbershop or mini-mart would have been quite simple to achieve, but he explained to the team he would never have engaged in that.

Nonetheless, he explains that those he met employed in illegal mini-marts during his work seemed "disoriented", especially those whose refugee application has been refused and who were in the legal challenge.

"They used all their money to migrate to the United Kingdom, they had their refugee application denied and now they've lost everything."

The other reporter acknowledges that these people seemed desperate.

"When [they] state you're forbidden to work - but additionally [you]