From political refugee to Middlesbrough local, Amin Ghesiari shares his story
- 4 days ago
- 8 min read
At last month's Edible Forest Garden, Boro Doughnut had the privilege of speaking to Amin Ghesiari, an Iranian refugee who fled political persecution, and now lives in Middlesbrough.
Amin shared his journey, his personal values, as well as bringing in some delicious homemade Persian food for local residents to enjoy!
I spoke with Amin further to share his fascinating story. When I first called him, he seemed elated as he had just finished speaking with his son Emad, whom he could not reach for
three days, as the phone signal in Iran was shut down by the government during the Israeli attacks.
After a brief chat about his family and how he has adjusted to British weather, Amin launched straight into his story. From a young age, Amin began reading books which were censored by Iran's government. ‘The first illegal books I read were those of Dr Ahmad Kasravi, which exposed the baseless nature and destructive system of the Shia Mullahs' referring to Iran's theocratic rulers. 'I was always interested in different ideas, I would read things like the God Delusion. I knew that these books were illegal, but I couldn’t stop my desire and my motivation to learn’. In 2018, Amin was holidaying in Paris when he learned that the Iranian authorities were looking to arrest him for owning a book called Comrade Ayatollah, which criticised the Khamenei regime (Iran's supreme leader and government).
When Amin’s son called him to let him know that the police had raided their home and were looking to arrest him, Amin decided he would flee to the UK, as he did not trust the French government to protect him.
Amin had to live in the cold and gruelling conditions of a French forest for five months before he could make the journey to the UK with the other refugees. When they first attempted to leave via dinghy boat, the waves were too harsh and their boat overturned, subduing the engine in water. After hours of work, the engine came to, and they made the journey across the British channel. Amin said for months after he had horrible dreams of crossing the channel. ‘Waves crashed over our boat that were four metres high, it was terrifying’.
Luckily, Amin arrived safely on the 27th of February 2019. Whilst crossing the channel, they were rescued by a fisherman boat and then arrested by border force and taken to Dover beach. As it turns out, Amin was welcomed by a crew of ITV reporters, who wanted to record refugees who had made the journey, and to this day, you can view the footage and read the report online.
Amin was then forced to spend over two months at the Gatwick detention facility while the home office decided his fate. He said he found the conditions so distressing that he accepted he would have to go back to France, where he believed the French government would likely turn him into the Iranian authorities if he were caught.
Amin stated he would have rather risked his own life by returning to France than continuing to live in the dehumanising conditions of the Gatwick detention centre. The worst part was that you did not know how long you’d be there, ‘at least in prison you know what your sentence is, but here, you have no idea when you’ll be released’.
Amin signed a document agreeing to remove himself from the UK, however the letter detailing how he would leave the country had only half a phone number included. Amin’s friend Barbara, whom he stayed with in Newcastle, then made around 90 calls to the home office, chastising them for their poor treatment of Amin. Luckily, the home office then decided to consider his particular situation.
After reviewing his case, the home office officially granted Amin asylum, and he settled in Middlesbrough. He has a great love for the area; where he has now lived for six years, stating how it reminds him of his own home city of Abadan, as both areas have a very similar history. Abadan, like Middlesbrough, developed and became well known due to industrialisation, drawing people in from different areas throughout the nation to live and work. He also appreciates how Middlesbrough is flat, joking how everywhere else in the UK seems like it’s on a hill, ‘I feel like I’m basically rock climbing in Sheffield!’, not to mention he absolutely loves Chris Rhea, ‘it’s like Middlesbrough chose me!’ he declared. I have since told him he needs to try a parmo.
As for Amin’s family, they are currently still living in Iran. When the first wave of Israeli missiles hit, firing at 100 targets and six cities, Amin was unable to communicate with his family by any means, as the phone signal was shut down by the Iranian government. He stated how he was terrified for his family as they lived near Natanz (the city near one of the nuclear sites bombed by the US) but luckily the phone lines were recovered, and he was able to call his son and parents the same day I spoke with him, confirming they were okay.
While there is currently a ceasefire, a divisive narrative is still being spun by western media and politicians around the supposed nuclear threat of Iran, despite there being little evidence that Tehran was close to developing nuclear weapons. Amin states these world leaders' motives are dishonest, ‘Netenyahu was always saying the same thing, Iran has been just days away from developing a nuclear weapon for 20 years it seems’.
Amin has no love for the Khamenei government, and because of his own desire for knowledge, and his willingness to criticise Iran's ruler, it ultimately forced him to flee his home and the people he loves. However, despite his dislike for Iran’s current government, he fears that western powers and the Israeli leadership have lied about their interests, ‘I don’t like my government, I don’t believe in my government, but I don’t like Netenyahu attacking my country… and innocent people have been killed’.
Amin stated how Netenyahu has been deemed a war criminal in over 120 countries around the world, and that starting another war is the only way he can hold onto power now. ‘It’s all the same, they say they wanted to free the people of Iraq, free the people of Gaza, or Lebanon, or Yemen, now Iran, no, Netenyahu only wants to free himself’. He also spoke of normal Israeli citizens too who had come under fire from retaliation, ‘neither the Iranian people, nor Israeli people are important to Netenyahu, he only cares about his own position’.
Amin later referred back to the ancient philosophy of Mithraism, which he deeply aligns with. In Mithraism, Amin explained how female leaders were deeply valued, and that he believes our current crisis is due to the world being ran by tyrannical men with no respect for life, ‘it takes suffering to deliver a child, for nine months women carry babies in their bodies, and so they don’t want to kill them, unlike Netenyahu, or Trump, or the Ayatollah in my country’.
Reuters reports some 935 people were killed in Iran during Israel’s 12 day assault. Whilst a shaky ceasefire has been agreed, it's evident that world governments appear to be following a destructive path towards further future conflict.
In the face of this however, normal citizens across the world share Amin’s sentiment, and simply want to live in a safe, sustainable, and thriving home. In his short time in the North East, Amin has dedicated himself to contributing to the Middlesbrough community.
He spoke happily of how he has many British friends, such as Catherine Howell who runs Seed Sovereignty UK and Ireland, who he told me he was incredibly grateful for and forever indebted to by supporting him in some of his loneliest times, and for introducing him to various volunteering groups in Middlesbrough. Amin currently volunteers across six different organisations, some of which include the aforementioned Seed Sovereignty group, Middlesbrough Repair Café, Middlesbrough workshop tools, and Regeneration of Communities (ROC) which he proudly said was covered by BBC Look North when Middlesbrough won the Sustainable Food Places Gold Award.
But despite having an impressive resume back in Iran working as an engineer and project manager, Amin has struggled to find work in the UK, and believes it is potentially due to his age and the language barrier. However, Amin’s volunteering exploits show just how keen he is to contribute, and he said if he were given the tools, he would love to work. ‘I want my parents especially to live here, and be safe, but I can’t achieve that until I have a job and pay taxes, that right now is my main concern’.
Despite all that has happened to him, Amin remains a hopeful person, with a wide range of inspirations. He is a big fan of Darwin’s evolutionary theory. ‘He discovered how all of us are connected to each other, and that we are not a different species’. Meanwhile, he also stated that Dr. Mohammad Mosaddegh was one of the best leaders Iran ever had, who under severe economic sanctions nationalised Iranian oil, and introduced a range of social and economic policies meant to improve life for the average Iranian. He also spoke of Mazdak, the 6th century Persian social reformer who rejected both the clergy and the monarchy as a great inspiration. He recited his favourite quote from Mazdak’s writing, “may a just and well ordered upbringing of people replace monarchy and village lordship”... something to this day Amin hopes can be true for Iran.
All of Amin’s inspirations have led him to view the world in terms of people. As a reader of Kafka, he states how the world is split into ‘Palaces’ and ‘The Streets’. In Amins view, ultimately, the majority of people across the world are part of ‘the streets’, and they need to recognise they all have much more in common than they think.
Finally, Amin dreams of one day seeing his family again. He often spoke of how close he and his son Emad were, and how he would also like his parents to move to the UK, as his mother grows weaker and is now hardly able to move. Meanwhile he wants to take his dad to Stamford Bridge Stadium, so he can watch a Chelsea game up close.
Since moving to Middlesbrough, Amin has helped enrich local life by sharing his own insights, foods, and stories from his homeland, going as far back as the early philosophies of ancient Persia, to modern day Iran.
By meeting people like Amin, and sharing his story, we can be better prepared to question the narratives we hear from the media, which are used to justify self-serving foreign wars, and box refugees and migrants into one narrow view. Amin is a complex, multifaceted individual with a love for his family, technology, ancient philosophy, history, and yes… Chris Rhea. And he has just as much reason to live, work, and thrive here as anyone else.
A huge thanks to Laurissa, Emi and Kinga, who made this blog, and the sharing of Amin’s story possible.
To get involved in your community, you can check the Boro Doughnut Facebook to keep track of the next upcoming Edible Forest Garden event. Meanwhile you can visit the Middlesbrough repair café where Amin volunteers, for its opening today at the Linthorpe Community Centre, where you can get a home appliance repaired and enjoy a coffee and a slice of cake.