Hundreds of people joined the action in Crowborough where the Home Office wants to house over 500 asylum seekers.
Crowds have taken to the streets of Crowborough to protest against migrants being housed nearby (Image: Getty)
Furious protesters carrying signs saying “Not racist, just afraid” have marched against plans for more than 500 migrants to move into an army barracks. Campaigners took to the streets of Crowborough, East Sussex, for the sixth Sunday in a row today (December 14) to oppose a training camp being used to accommodate arrivals.
Crowborough Training Camp is one of two barracks set to temporarily house asylum seekers. The second is Cameron Barracks in Inverness. Part of the Government’s bid to close asylum hotels, Crowborough has the capacity to house 540 men. It has been offered to the Home Office for 12 months by the Ministry of Defence.
The Home Office wants asylum seekers to be housed at Crowborough Training Camp (Image: Getty)
It is the sixth protest in a row to hit Crowborough (Image: Getty)
Hundreds of people joined the action in Crowborough where they waved Union Jack and St George’s flags, marching from the gates to the camp into the town centre.
Protesters chanted “Whose streets? Our streets!” and “Crowborough says no!” as they went, with some raising placards reading: “Protect our women and girls”, “Not racist, just afraid” and “Stop the madness, stop the boats”.
The Daily Mail reports that about 100 asylum seekers are believed to be moving in from Napier Barracks in Kent, which is set to close on Friday (December 19).
Protest organiser, Ryan Holden, 44, told the publication: “This is a massive protest against what is being done to us without our say. We understand we’re getting 100 from Kent soon. It’s a disgrace.”
Independent town councillor, Peter Bucklitsch, said Crowborough isn’t anti-migrant, but some locals have grave concerns about the plans.
He accused the Home Office of handling the scheme in a “totally wrong” way, adding: “The system is in chaos.”
Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of the Sussex town (Image: Getty)
Sir Keir Starmer’s name appeared on a ‘naughty list’ placard (Image: Getty)
The Government has insisted that mandatory security and criminality checks will be carried out on all asylum seekers housed at the camp, using biometric data. The site will also have 24/7 security.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We are furious at the level of illegal migrants and asylum hotels. This government will close every asylum hotel. Work is well underway, with more suitable sites being brought forward to ease pressure on communities and cut asylum costs.
“We are working closely with local authorities, property partners and across-government so that we can accelerate delivery.”
The number of asylum seekers in hotels peaked at 56,018 at the end of September 2023 under the then-Conservative government but dropped to a record low of 29,561 in June 2024 just before the general election.
Labour has pledged to no longer be using asylum hotels by the end of this Parliament – which would be 2029, if not earlier.
Figures released in November show the number of asylum seekers housed temporarily in hotels rose 13% in three months. But the latest data showed an increase, from 32,041 in June to 36,273 in September.
