A leading campaigner against the government’s plan to moor a barge housing 500 refugees off a small English isle says the area has been “let down” by the government.
Julie Croley said concerns from residents in the coastal areas of Portland and Weymouth are “being completely ignored” by officials.
The 58-year-old from nearby Dorchester is behind a recent leafleting campaign urging locals to “convince the country that Dorset is not tolerating the government dictating to us.”
The flyers, titled “Stop The Invasion,” also state that local MP Richard Drax, Dorset Council, and local residents were “not consulted before this decision.”
Croley spoke to The Epoch Times on Tuesday as the Bibby Stockholm barge arrived in UK waters.
It is expected to move to its final position in Portland Port off Dorset’s coastal town of Weymouth in the coming weeks.
It was reported on Tuesday that the port had looked to deter “far-right” demonstrations—which are expected in protest at the barge’s presence—from targeting the arrival of tourists coming into the area on cruise ships.
But the newspaper said that, following criticism of its plans to allow the Bibby Stockholm to moor in its waters, the port’s website removed the dates.
Tourism Fear
Speaking to The Epoch Times, Croley said she wasn’t aware of any far-right protests due to take place at Portland Port.“I am being asked by a few residents to arrange a protest and many say they will show up. [But] I won’t be arranging a protest: I believe the majority have to protest, or it will be futile,” she said.
The campaigner said concerns from residents in the area were in no way “far-right,” but instead were centred primarily on the impact the presence of the barge may have on tourism and income.
“A lot of us feel that the nationwide publicity surrounding the barge would affect tourism hugely so, therefore, income would be affected.”
The 58-year-old said there were also concerns surrounding the screening of the migrants—who will be housed on the Bibby Stockholm for a period of up to 18 months.
“This is not about race, creed, or colour,” she said.
“There was no consultation in the area for anybody, the council is saying they didn’t know.
“I would say maybe two percent of people are not against it. We feel like we aren’t being listened to, and we feel let down.”
A social media post from the group—which states it welcomes refugees but is against the prison barge “profiteering from” asylum seekers—says the demonstration will take place on Saturday, May 13.
Fingerprints Recorded
In a statement released last week, Portland Port chief executive Bill Reeves moved to ease local’s fears.Acknowledging “genuine concerns,” he said asylum seekers will have their fingerprints and identities recorded by the Home Office before going aboard.
Migrants will also receive health screening for medical conditions, Reeves said.
A Multi-Agency Forum (MAF) has also been established locally involving government agencies, police, and emergency services.
Reeves said the Home Office is working closely with Dorset Police to “ensure appropriate security arrangements” are in place.
Discussions were also taking place with the NHS about “the potential range of on-site medical facilities” to help mitigate the impact on local health services, the statement said.
Communal recreational and exercise facilities would be made available for asylum seekers, with the Home Office in talks with the local voluntary and community sector about providing activities, including English language training.
Reeves, who said he did not believe there would be any impact on tourism, added that housing the migrants was “the right thing to do.”
“There is a strong incentive for the refugees to be law-abiding because they are in the latter stages of their asylum assessment,” he said.
Criticism
Last month, MP Richard Drax criticised the Home Office on its asylum seeker barge plans for Dorset.He said the council, community, and local authorities had not been consulted before the vessel accommodation “was imposed on us.”
He said that Home Secretary Suella Braverman revealed in a written answer to Drax that migrants living on the “self-contained site … would be free to come and go.”
“If an asylum seeker were not back on site by 11 p.m., the team would make a call to check on their welfare.
“This would not be under curfew conditions; it would be based on following up on the safety and welfare of the individual,” Braverman said.
Drax said the reason residents were objecting “is simply that we do not have the resources to cope with this.”
Addressing the Minister for Immigration, Robert Jenrick, Drax said: “The Minister is putting a potential landmine into a highly restricted port, where young men will be trapped in a barge for many hours a day, with a few being let off God knows where.
“Where are they going to go, Minister? What are they going to do? What happens if they do not come back—a telephone call?
“I hardly think that that is going to work. It is just totally impractical, and the health services cannot provide the resources.”
Drax added: “These are the sort of questions that should have been asked before the decision was made to put this boat, or barge, in the port.”
Extra Policing Call
In a statement to The Epoch Times over the decision to remove cruise ship arrival times from its website, a Portland Port spokesman said: “All cruise calls are proceeding as normal at Portland Port but arrivals and departures are subject to change, as they are at any port.“Therefore, it is best to contact the cruise line involved for the most up-to-date information.”
The barge is part of a series of schemes devised by the UK government and aimed at moving asylum seekers away from costly hotel accommodation.
The Home Office says asylum-seeker hotels cost the British public £6 million a day.
However, the leader of Dorset Council and the county’s police and crime commissioner (PCC) have voiced concerns about the port’s decision to allow the barge to dock.
PCC David Sidwick last week called for funding talks with Braverman for the extra policing that will be required when the vessel arrives.
It comes after more small boats carrying migrants across the English Channel arrived at Dover, Kent, on bank holiday Monday.
A group of people were pictured on the docks after being rescued by a Border Force vessel.
The Home Office has not yet declared how many arrived on Monday, but Saturday saw 135 people arrive on three detected boats, with a further three carrying 134 coming across the strait on Sunday.
At least 6,500 migrants have arrived via the unauthorised route this year.
