A flag protest against the planned housing of 300 asylum seekers at Inverness’s Cameron Barracks was met with a “zero-tolerance” response from council officials who ordered the emblems to be removed from lampposts.
The clearance of the Union Jack and a Saltire comes as tensions rise in the Highland capital over the UK government’s decision to repurpose the barracks for temporary migrant accommodation. The first arrivals are expected next month.
The flags were hoisted on Thursday from a low-level mast on a lamppost on Old Perth Road, near the entrance to the 140-year-old barracks. Council maintenance crews were dispatched to take them down. A council spokesman confirmed the move, stating the local authority would not tolerate any unsanctioned postings on its property.
The Saltire was also erected on a low-level mast outside the barracks
PETER JOLLY/NORTHPIX
“We have a zero-tolerance approach to any unauthorised attachments to our lighting columns, be it signs, stickers, banners or anything else,” the spokesman said, adding that the council would “arrange for the removal of the flags”.
• ‘Unsafe’ barracks could delay migrants’ move from hotels
It follows the UK government’s announcement that the former military site would be used to house asylum seekers, part of a wider government strategy to move migrants out of expensive hotels.
The move has galvanised opposition among some residents, who have launched a petition demanding the government “halts all plans” and engages with the community to find “solutions elsewhere”.
Concerns have been raised about the proximity of the asylum seekers at Cameron Barracks to Inverness city centre
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The petition, titled “Stop asylum seeker housing at Cameron Barracks”, has rapidly gathered momentum, collecting more than 7,800 signatures. Its description argues that the lack of consultation is unacceptable and that “priority must be given to the safety, stability, and wellbeing of Highland families and vulnerable individuals already living here”.
The campaigners urge authorities to “listen to the people who live here and respect our right to safety, stability, and a future for our children”.
Cameron Barracks, which sits on the northern edge of Inverness, is one of two Ministry of Defence sites being repurposed for this use, alongside Crowborough Camp in East Sussex, which will house a further 600 people. Upgrades worth more than £1.3 million are reportedly planned for the site before the asylum seekers’ arrival.