Hassan Akkad

Hassan Akkad (Arabic: حسان عقاد‎) is a Syrian refugee, photographer, filmmaker and refugee rights activist in the United Kingdom.

Hassan Akkad
حسان عقاد
NationalitySyrian
OccupationCleaner
Photographer
Teacher
OrganisationChoose Love[1]
Known forExodus: Our Journey to Europe
Political partyLabour[1][2]

Life

Syria

He is originally from Damascus, and worked as an English teacher and photographer.[3] In 2011, as protests in Syria against the government of Bashar al-Assad grew, he joined in and filmed the demonstrations. In response to his taking part, the authorities arrested and beat him twice. After his first period of incarceration, al-Assad invited him to have a conversation, where Akkad told him "about the systemic torture of his [Assad's] regime".[1]

Moving to the UK

In September 2015, he fled Syria and arrived in the UK, a journey which took 87 days.[3] He travelled via Turkey and the Calais Jungle, before using a fake passport to fly to Heathrow, where he claimed asylum. He first lived in Hitchin for two months, before moving into a spare room in Brixton.[1]

Since arriving in the UK, he has worked in TV and film production, and has also worked doing marketing for a refugee charity.[3]

Akkad filmed his journey to the UK, and this footage was used in the BBC documentary, Exodus: Our Journey to Europe which won the BAFTA award for Best Factual Series or Strand in 2017.[4] Akkad raised the issue of how many refugees had died trying to enter Europe when invited to join director James Bluemel at his acceptance speech.[5][6]

In July 2020, he worked with Marc Quinn in creating and installing the statue A Surge of Power (Jen Reid) 2020 to replace the one of Edward Colston in Bristol.[7]

Coronavirus
External video
Akkad's video message to Boris Johnson, Twitter

Following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK, he started working as a cleaner for the NHS at Whipps Cross Hospital in East London.[8][9][10] While working in the hospital, he took photos of his colleagues, which were published on the Politico website.[11]

Akkad stated that "everyone [he worked with] felt completely betrayed, [and] stabbed in the back" in response to the government announcing that NHS cleaners and porters wouldn't be included in an NHS bereavement scheme if they die due to coronavirus, and that immigrant NHS workers would still have to pay a £400 immigration health surcharge.[1] In response, he filmed a message to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, which he published on Twitter, explaining that he was "shocked to find out that your Government decided to exclude myself and my colleagues who work as cleaners and porters and social care workers [from the scheme] ... so if I die from coronavirus my partner isn’t allowed indefinite leave to remain".[12][13] Following this video, the government made a U-turn, and included these workers in the bereavement scheme. The Observer argued that this video was "directly instrumental in another of the prime minister’s mumbled U-turns the following day",[1] and British Vogue described how he then appeared on Good Morning Britain, and on newspaper front pages, due to this video.[13]

Akkad stated that although he appreciates the Clap for Our Carers events, as they have made communities closer,[1] he "cringe[s]" when he sees government members clapping, due to their handling of the pandemic.[3]

In an interview in August 2020, he explained that having experienced authoritarianism in Syria, he was becoming worried about "the creeping authoritarianism [which] is quite vivid here now", pointing out the "contracts going to government cronies; politicians breaking the rules and not facing consequences; this delusional democracy where people are lied to, and vote for the liars".[1]

He has started writing a memoir, which will be published in 2021 by Pan Macmillan.[14][1]

Personal life

He is engaged to a Syrian woman he met in the UK, who was here as a student and whose home in Damascus was bombed. They were meant to get married in July 2020 in Leytonstone. His family also left Syria: his parents now live in the UAE, and his brother works for the World Food Programme in Yemen.[1]

References
  1. Adams, Tim (2 August 2020). "Hassan Akkad: 'For someone from Syria, the authoritarianism is vivid in Britain'". The Observer. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  2. Akkad, Hassan [@hassan_akkad] (20 July 2020). "This came in the post today. 👋🏽 @UKLabour" (Tweet). Retrieved 2 August 2020 – via Twitter.
  3. Safdar, Anealla (20 May 2020). "The Syrian refugee on the UK's coronavirus front lines". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  4. "Glad to be helping: refugee Syrian film-maker turns London hospital cleaner". Middle East Monitor. 23 April 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  5. "Exodus: Our Journey to Europe - Winner's acceptance speech, Factual Series, Virgin TV British Academy Television Awards in 2017". www.bafta.org/. Bafta. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  6. "Factual Series - EXODUS: OUR JOURNEY TO EUROPE". www.bafta.org. Nafta. 14 May 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  7. "Edward Colston statue in Bristol replaced by sculpture of Black Lives Matter protester". The Independent. 15 July 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020. Photographer and filmmaker Hassan Akkad said on Twitter that he had worked with Quinn on the project and declared it a “success” shortly before 6am on Wednesday.
  8. Murray, Jessica (8 April 2020). "Bafta-winning film-maker becomes hospital cleaner". the Guardian. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  9. Palmer, Elizabeth (27 April 2020). "Why a Syrian refugee-turned-filmmaker is volunteering as a hospital cleaner". CBS News. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  10. "BAFTA-winning filmmaker Hassan Akkad becomes hospital cleaner". The News International. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  11. Ball, Tim (21 May 2020). "In pictures: NHS workers fighting to keep a COVID-19 ward safe". POLITICO.eu. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  12. Gallagher, Paul (21 May 2020). "Syrian refugee behind viral NHS video to carry on fight for migrants' rights". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  13. Hattersley, Giles (4 June 2020). "Meet Hassan Akkad, The Refugee Turned Hospital Cleaner In Vogue's Key Worker Portfolio". British Vogue. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  14. Chandler, Mark (23 June 2020). "Bluebird pre-empts memoir of NHS activist Akkad". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
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