Around 2,000 people joined the protest that took place on Sunday in Crowborough, East Sussex, against government plans to accommodate 540 single male asylum seekers at a disused army camp on the edge of the town.During the protests, mothers led chants of “Starmer out” as marchers carried Union Jacks, St George’s crosses, and handwritten placards with slogans including “Protect Us. Protect our children” and “Our children’s freedom gone, so they can have theirs,” The Times reported.
This comes after a heated public meeting on Thursday, where private security guards intervened when local politicians were chased out of the community centre hall. Some residents said they were installing panic alarms in their homes and raised concerns about access to local GP services, which are already in high demand, the BBC reported.The government announced in October that the asylum seekers would be accommodated at the disused army camp, as part of efforts to end the use of hotels for migrant accommodation. A Home Office spokesperson told the BBC that the move aims to provide “more suitable accommodation” while public safety remains the first priority.Kim Bailey, chairwoman of Crowborough Shield, a grassroots organisation formed to challenge home secretary Shabana Mahmood, claimed that the plans were “absurd” Highlighting potential risks for asylum seekers with PTSD living near a police firearms training centre and public shooting range, she said “It’s absurd what they are doing. Vulnerable men from war-torn countries, to Crowborough?She added that the men are “unvetted” and that the rural location could make it difficult for authorities to respond if crime occurs. The campaign has raised more than £12,000 to fund legal action against the Home Office.Wealden District Council, controlled by an alliance of Labour, Liberal Democrat, and Green councillors, criticised the Home Office for an “information vacuum” around the plans, which it said fuelled community tension and threats against local politicians. Crowborough, along with Cameron Barracks in Inverness, were the first military sites identified to accommodate a total of 900 asylum seekers, The Times reported.The Home Office said all residents will undergo mandatory security checks and that “as part of their induction process, clear expectations are set out to asylum seekers staying at the site about their expected behaviour while on and off the site.” Kerrie Knight, an organiser of the Pink Ladies campaign, told The Times the protests were “not about race or religion” but about “risk and safety” and “common sense.”
