A small group of people with welcoming signs of support for the planned 300 asylum seekers that could be housed in Cameron Barracks gathered outside Highland Council Headquarters this afternoon.
Protest outside the council HQ ahead of the Council meeting ahead of a special meeting of the Highland Council will be held in the Council Chamber, Council Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, InvernessPicture: Callum Mackay.
The group stood peacefully in the rain in Glenurquhart Road ahead of the special full council meeting to discuss the Home Office proposals.
Inside HQ, the council held their meeting discussing what could be done surrounding the Home Office decision as supporters of the plan encouraged people to “speak from the heart”.
“Nobody is illegal, we are all human beings”
“They need a place of safety,” said one woman outside who wanted to show her support for those seeking asylum, stating that they are human beings and deserve basic rights.
Two men were there because they were “appalled” by the “racist backlash” that followed the announcement.
“I want to make it clear that most of the people in Inverness are very welcoming,” said one of them.
“We appreciate the roles migrants play in our communities and we don’t think they are a threat.”
One of the men spoke of working in a hostel where he met people from all over the world.
“It’s really important to me that we welcome them with open arms,” he said.
“I don’t want to go around judging people on where they are from or their background, I don’t know the 300 people coming here but I think they have every right to be here and to be safe.”
Another of the women said: “I was raised to believe that everybody deserves to get the help they need. If you saw yourself in that situation you would want that help as well.”
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