Hundreds of individuals protest towards the Crowborough migrants camp chanting ‘Deportation, no lodging’
Hundreds of furious locals marched through Crowborough for a 14th consecutive weekend to protest migrants moving into the town’s former army camp.
Residents of the East Sussex town chanted for ‘deportation’ and carried signs vowing to push back against the arrival of asylum seekers.
Local groups have vowed to ‘step up’ their demonstrations after the first of the migrants were moved into the barracks a fortnight ago.
The Home Office has confirmed that 27 were moved in during the middle of the night.
Crowds gathered outside the gates of the barracks before marching for an hour and a half through the town.
Along the march, protestors played a number of AI-generated anti-immigration songs, including ‘We Will Stop You’ – a local riff on ‘We Will Rock You.’
There were signs reading ‘No to Colonisation of Crowborough’ and ‘Betrayed by our leaders. We have rights too.’
Many also carried St George’s flags and the local county flag of East Sussex.
Hundreds of people again marched through Crowborough in opposition to migrants moving into the town’s barracks
The crowds gathered outside the camp’s gates and then marched through the town
People chanted anti-immigration slogans and waved flags
Chants of ‘Deportation! No accomodation!’ and ‘Stop the Boats, send them home!’ were heard as the protestors made their way into town.
Other chants included ‘Keir Starmer is a w*****’.
Tensions in the town escalated earlier this week after a woman was caught cutting down Union Jacks and St George’s flags residents had put up outside the camp.
Alex Dray, a local resident and retired pilot said the asylum camp had been opened ‘under the cover of darkness’
He said: ‘We were supposed to be given 72 hours notice of the men being moved in. That did not happen and we were never consulted on the camp either.
‘I’m disappointed in our local MP and I just feel in her position she could be more vocal and hold the home office to account. The local council is just unspeakably awful.’
Angela Stewart, 34, said the protests would be scaled up.
The mum-of-two said: ‘We’re only just getting started really. It’ll get bigger and bigger.
Migrants are seen at the Crowborough Training Camp, a former military site last week
People enter a building at Crowborough army training camp
‘The whole area is against this. We have been betrayed. Never has there been an issue locally which has had so much opposition.
‘It’s got opposition from across the political divide as well. This is about what local people want.’
Around 450 male asylum seekers are set to move into the barracks as part of a plan to reduce the number of hotels used to house migrants.
For the past 14 weeks, protesters have gathered in Crowborough in large numbers every Sunday to raise their objections to the Labour government’s controversial plans.
The Home Office has said the asylum seekers will be registered with a medic based inside the base, and will only use off-site services if they require additional treatment.
Last month, three people were arrested after protesters blocked a vehicle leaving the army camp.
Sussex Police said the arrests followed two incidents at the entrance to the East Sussex camp on Friday, January 23.
A force spokesman said: ‘The gathering was initially peaceful, however when a vehicle was leaving the site, three individuals were threatening and intimidatory.
‘The individuals caused an obstruction, shouted abuse, and struck the vehicle, alarming the driver and passengers.’
