Thousands march against Crowborough asylum seeker plan

About 4,000 people have taken part in a demonstration against government plans to house asylum seekers at a military site in East Sussex, organisers have said.

The demonstrators oppose the Home Office’s now delayed plan to temporarily house up to 540 male asylum seekers at an army training camp on the outskirts of Crowborough.

Earlier, participants, including families with children, waved banners and chanted, walking from the former barracks in Crowborough to the town centre.

The Home Office said it was postponing the arrival of the asylum seekers but would continue to “accelerate plans” to move people to the site when it was fully operational and safe.

Similar protests have taken place in the town in recent weeks, with Sunday’s march having the largest turn out to date, organisers said.

They said Crowborough, which has a population of about 20,000, was too small to house hundreds of asylum seekers in the community.

The government proposal was first announced in October.

Wealden District Council, the local authority, previously passed a motion formally opposing it and said it had served a planning contravention notice against the Home Office.

In a statement, the Home Office said it did not want to replicate the mistakes of the past, “where rushed plans have led to unsafe and chaotic situations that impacts the local community”.

A spokesperson added: “We are furious at the level of illegal migrants and asylum hotels.

“Moving to large military sites is an important part of our reforms to tackle illegal migration and the pull factors that make the UK an attractive destination.”