Protest held over Crowborough asylum seeker military site plan

Hundreds of people have attended a protest against plans to house asylum seekers at a military site in East Sussex.

The government recently announced that 600 people would be temporarily housed at a training camp on the outskirts of Crowborough.

Local resident Keith Brown said: “If you dump any 600 young men of undocumented, unknown origin in a small town, you’re asking for trouble.”

A Home Office spokesperson said “the right to protest is fundamental to our democracy”.

The spokesperson added: “This government will close every asylum hotel.

“Work is well under way, with more suitable sites being brought forward to ease pressure on communities across the country.”

Resident Ben Grant told the BBC that the plans were “concerning many residents”.

“Straight after our last council meeting, I had a lot of our vulnerable, elderly and especially women who told me they are really worried about their safety,” he said.

Fellow resident Rachel Nichols added: “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.”

Steve Smith, from refugee charity Care4Calais, told the BBC: “In terms of people seeking asylum, the government has a duty, under the Refugee Convention, to house those who would be otherwise destitute.”

He said Crowborough was a “dilapidated old army camp”, adding it would “cost a lot to set up” as accommodation for asylum seekers.

“From my point of view, shovelling people into former barracks is not the best use of money and for those seeking asylum,” said Mr Smith.

He said because many had been through traumatic experiences, including war, detention and modern day slavery, housing them in old barracks was “not the best accommodation for people who had undergone these experiences”.

Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne was at the protest.

She said: “I’m here today because I’m as disgusted as local residents are about this migrant camp that’s being opened up.”

Bourne said the plan had been “dumped on everybody” and there was “no consultation”.

“Not even I was warned about this,” she said.

Earlier this week, the government said military sites were being considered with the aim of reducing the impact on communities and delivering better outcomes for taxpayers.

Wealden District Council has called for the reversal of the plans, claiming it had “totally failed” to engage with the community or provide assurances around safeguarding for both asylum seekers and residents.

Moving asylum seekers to military sites is part of the government’s attempt to end the controversial use of hotels – something it has pledged to do before the next election.

The government added that the site would comply with safety and security standards.

As of June, about 32,000 asylum seekers were being housed in hotels, down from a peak of more than 56,000 in 2023, according to government figures.

Wealden District Council raised concerns about “staffing at the camp, police provision and the additional strain on already overstretched public services”.

A petition against the move has been set up, which has attracted about 6,000 signatures.

A Sussex Police spokesperson said: “A planned peaceful protest took place in Crowborough on Saturday morning.

“Officers worked to keep any disruption to the public and businesses in the locality to a minimum.”