Concerned residents condemned the left-wing Labour government’s plans to dump hundreds of migrants in their community, yet the deputy-leader of the overwhelmingly pro-immigration Green Party faces charges of hypocrisy for joining the protest.
Hundreds of Britons took to the streets of Crowborough in East Sussex over the weekend to protest against plans to use a nearby military site to accommodate some 600 migrants as the government seeks to move away from the controversial asylum hotel scheme.
Residents were seen waving British flags and carrying placards reading “protect our town” and “protect our women and girls”.
Speaking to the BBC, one resident said: “If you dump any 600 young men of undocumented, unknown origin in a small town, you’re asking for trouble.”
“We shouldn’t be put in a position where we have to stretch ourselves further to accommodate people who are not offering something back to our community,” another local said.
A third resident said that following the latest council meeting, many people, particularly women, said that they are “worried about their safety.”
A petition against the use of the site as migrant accommodation has already attracted over 7,000 signatures. The petition said that the town “simply lacks the infrastructure to accommodate such a large influx of people” and that the local schools, doctors, and public transport would likely be overwhelmed.
The petition also said that during previous attempts to house supposed asylum seekers in the area, “many residents reported feeling intimidated when walking alone at night, fundamentally altering the town’s welcoming atmosphere.”
An unexpected source of support for the campaigners is the deputy leader of the national Green Party, a hard-left political faction with very forthright views on open borders and welcoming what they call refugees. It may be these notions do not stretch to welcoming migrants to their own area, however, with Rachel Millward writing of her objection to having migrants moved to near where she, and her constituents, live.
In a joint letter she wrote of a “strong objection”, “dire mismanagement”, and “significant risks”. Echoing talking points that in normal times Green politicians would absolutely decry coming from the right, Millward’s letter raised concerns of police provision, strain on public services, and the risks of “accommodating 600 men on one site”. Inevitably, Millward and the Green party she co-leads have faced accusations of hypocrisy, given their party platform is in favour of “sanctuary” for arrivals.
At present, around 32,000 alleged asylum seekers are being housed in hotels across Britain at taxpayer expense. Their use has also prompted protests, with residents similarly expressing concerns about the dangers of importing young foreign males into their communities.
This was typified by a sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl in the town of Epping by an Ethiopian illegal boat migrant, who was placed by the government into the local Bell Hotel just days after breaking into the country.
Amid growing anger over the use of hotels to house migrants, the Labour government is reportedly planning to take over at least 14 military sites to house up to 10,000 migrants, according to The Times of London.
However, the government may still run into pushback, including from local residents, and potentially from legal challenges citing the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which was used to derail the previous Tory government’s plan to send illegals to asylum processing centres in Rwanda rather than housing them in Britain. Upon coming into power last year, the Labour government immediately scrapped the Rwanda scheme.
In a statement, the Home Office said: “This government will end the use of all asylum hotels, which have put unacceptable pressure on communities across the country. We are accelerating plans to move thousands of asylum seekers to more suitable accommodation, including military sites.
“Due diligence must be carried out on all potential sites. We are working closely with local authorities as we identify alternative sites to ease the immense pressure asylum hotels place on communities across this country.”
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