In the heart of Crowborough, a storm brews as residents rally against plans to house asylum seekers in a local barracks, igniting fierce community debates.
People during an anti-immigration protest at Chapel Green in Crowborough, East Sussex. (Image: PA)
Anti-migrant protesters in Crowborough, East Sussex, have been urged to stop paying council tax if asylum seekers are housed in a local military barracks, sparking outrage and fears of community tension.
Angry campaigners marched through the town’s streets on Sunday, carrying signs and flags, many wearing plain white T-shirts and chanting: “Send them home.”
The protest, backed by campaign group Crowborough Shield, was the second of three organised by furious residents vehemently opposing plans to temporarily house 600 male asylum seekers at Crowborough Training Camp.
The site, which has been offered to the Home Office for a 12-month period by the Ministry of Defence, is one of two barracks set to become temporary homes for asylum seekers, alongside Cameron Barracks in Inverness, as part of the Government’s contentious attempt to close down asylum hotels.
Activist’s shocking council tax boycott call
Activist Sarah White, 40, who was arrested earlier this year after climbing council building steps to unfurl a Union flag following a fiery speech at the Bell Hotel in Epping, west Essex, made the jaw-dropping call for a council tax boycott. The charges against her were later dropped.
Wearing a top with “Stand your ground” written on the back, Ms White told the crowd: “I’ve stopped paying my council tax. I would encourage every single person to stop paying their council tax.”
She claimed the drastic move was necessary because “councillors and the police don’t care”, insisting that protests outside the Bell Hotel had failed to stop “undocumented, illegal men from being housed in the Bell Hotel” or “crimes being committed in our community”.
Activist Sarah White, 40, was arrested earlier this year (Image: Getty)
Government defends asylum plans amid security assurances
In its plans, the Government said mandatory security and criminality checks will be carried out on all asylum seekers using biometric data, and the site will have 24/7 security.
A spokesman for Sussex Police said: “A planned peaceful protest took place in Crowborough on Sunday morning. Officers worked to keep any disruption in the locality to a minimum while the event took place. There were no arrests.”
Labour has pledged to close all asylum hotels by the next election, but party leader Sir Keir Starmer is understood to have privately urged ministers to act much sooner to address the pressing issue.
As tensions continue to rise in Crowborough and the battle over the divisive asylum seeker barracks shows no signs of abating, the Government faces mounting pressure to address the concerns of local residents and find a solution that balances the needs of asylum seekers with the safety and well-being of the community.
