Bishop worried by language used in asylum hotel protests
POLICE MAKE ONE ARREST AT RALLY STAGED IN KEGWORTH
PROTESTERS staging noisy protests outside hotels for asylum seekers have been reminded by the Bishop of Leicester that most of the refugees were “fragile and vulnerable” people with feelings and good reasons for fleeing their home country.
Bishop Martyn Snow said he understood people’s concerns but that he was becoming worried about the language being used in the debate about asylum.
Yew Lodge, in Kegworth, is among the hotels being used by the Home Office to house asylum seekers.
Some villagers are angry that a place with so few facilities has been chosen for 250 refugees from around the world, and there is also anger that some members of staff have lost their jobs due to the hotel being shut to the public.
On Monday night last week, a group of more than 100 protesters were outside the hotel with placards, chanting and shouting.
They marched on the centre of the village and at one point the road was blocked by police officers to contain the rally.
One man was arrested for blocking the road.
In comments to the BBC, the bishop said of the asylum seekers: “These are human beings with feelings, with a desire for not just safety but to contribute to society.
“I understand people’s concerns but I hope that through encounters – actually meeting those people – they’ll understand that often these people are very fragile and vulnerable and they are here for very good reasons in most cases.
“I think we’ve become a very polarised society in many ways and it’s so easy to forget what we’re talking about here is not just an issue. We’re talking about people.”
Last Monday night’s protest was also attended by about a dozen members of Derbyshire Refugee Solidarity, who formed a counterprotest against the demonstrators.
Steve Cook, a representative of the charity, accepted a “relatively small” village was not the right place to house asylum seekers but urged residents to remember the asylum seekers are “not to blame”
He called on the government to process asylum claims quickly so those with a genuine claim can start contributing to the economy.
In a statement yesterday morning, police said: “The force was aware of a planned peaceful protest in the area of Ashby Road, Kegworth, on Monday evening. Officers had engaged with the protest organiser, key partners and stakeholders beforehand.
“A proportionate police response was put in place.
“One man, aged 53, was arrested and has since been charged with wilfully obstructing a highway with a non-motor vehicle.
“He is due to appear at Leicester Magistrates’ Court on March 15.”
The Home Office has declined to comment on the individual hotels it is using to support asylum seekers.
But a spokeswoman said: “The welfare of asylum seekers in our care is of the utmost importance and we work closely with the police and our contractors to ensure their safety.
“Whenever we seek to use sites for asylum accommodation, we engage with the police and other stakeholders to identify any community tensions.
“We continually review the security at asylum accommodation sites with providers.”
She said all such accommodation sites had security staff and that the Home Office had a legal obligation to support asylum seekers and their children under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
The government has said the use of hotels to house asylum seekers “needs to stop”, but the backlog of asylum claims to process reached more than 160,000 this year.