A second village in the United Kingdom is considering holding a symbolic independence referendum in protest against plans to accommodate more than 1,200 asylum seekers at a nearby military site, The Telegraph reports.
Parish council leaders in Barnham, United Kingdom, met with residents of nearby Piddington on Tuesday, 22 September, to discuss whether Barnham should follow the village’s example. Piddington residents voted 285–26 last week in favour of ‘seceding from the UK and pursuing self-determination’ over plans to house up to 1,256 asylum seekers at a former Ministry of Defence garrison roughly half a mile away.
The referendum has no legal or constitutional effect, but residents said it was intended to highlight their concerns about the proposed migrant centre. Piddington, which has around 350 residents, argued that the planned camp would result in male migrants outnumbering locals by almost four to one and could increase concerns about crime.
Barnham, a village of fewer than 600 people located around three miles (4.8 kilometres) from Thetford, is facing similar plans. The village has no shop or pub, while residents have expressed concerns that accommodating large numbers of single male migrants nearby would overwhelm the local community.
John Bauer, chairman of Barnham Parish Council, said the village wanted to learn from Piddington rather than simply duplicate its actions.
‘We’ve seen what Piddington has done, and they’ve had a fantastic impact. They’ve really raised the profile of the whole issue,’ Bauer has stated. ‘We would like to add our weight. If two villages work together, it would be far better than both villages working independently’.
RAF Barnham was identified by the Home Office in June as one of three sites being considered to accommodate a combined 3,750 migrants. The other proposed locations are the former MoD site in Piddington and Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham of the United Kingdom has previously stated that these are efforts to have the wealthier and middle-class areas of the country pay their ‘fair share’ in housing migrants.
Protesters have established an encampment outside RAF Barnham, displaying signs including ‘Thetford says no!’ and ‘Don’t trust Home Office—it’s all lies’.
Bauer said some Barnham residents increasingly felt that the asylum accommodation plans were effectively a ‘fait accompli’ and that there was little they could do to influence the decision.
‘If this results in more attention being brought to bear on those making the decisions, then it won’t do our case any harm whatsoever,’ he said.
The controversy has also been linked to unrest in nearby Thetford. In August, properties believed to house migrants were targeted during riots on three consecutive nights. Five men were removed from homes after a mob stormed the properties, while eggs were thrown at houses and a police officer was bitten.
Meanwhile, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch visited Piddington on Monday and met with more than 40 local women. Some told her they had begun organizing self-defence classes and claimed the police had warned them they might need to ‘run and hide’ during an incident.
Badenoch described the situation as a ‘women’s issue’ and urged residents not to leave the UK despite the village’s symbolic referendum.
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