For the last six months activists from Chichester and Arun Green Party have been working with partner organisations to support refugees and asylum seekers who are being accommodated at the Chichester Park Hotel on the Westhampnett Road in Chichester. Reports started to circulate in late September 2023 that the Home Office had started loaning the hotel for this purpose. At that time, misinformation circulated in leaflets and local Facebook groups claimed that the hotel would be housing 300 male economic migrants. A large group of people protesting the housing of asylum seekers in the hotel grew outside the hotel in response to the misinformation. Chichester District Council released its own statement and FAQ regarding the hotel in an attempt to educate locals about the repurposing of the hotel. Chichester Cathedral also released a statement in support of the refugees. A large group of pro-refugee counter protestors, led by Stand Up to Racism Portsmouth also developed to peacefully counter the anti-refugee protestors. Members of Chichester and Arun Green Party were very happy to be part of this group which also included activists from many trade unions, Chichester Quakers, Transition Chichester, Sanctuary in Chichester, Littlehampton and Bognor Labour Party, Chichester vs. Oil and many others.
The organisations and people who came together to support the refugees, including members of Chichester and Arun Green Party, went on to form a non-partisan coalition called Chichester Welcomes Refugees who continue to support the asylum seekers and refugees in many ways including organising community events, obtaining essential donations and providing emotional support.
Countering Hate
Anti-refugee demonstrations outside the hotel have now largely stopped in response to the campaigning efforts of all members of Chichester Welcomes Refugees and their partners. Some members of Chichester Welcomes Refugees have been working very closely with Hope Not Hate, an organisation dedicated to countering the rise of the new far right in the UK. They have been monitoring the involvement of Patriotic Alternative in Chichester and their role in spreading misinformation and organising anti-refugee protests. Collectively we welcome the governments categorisation of Patriotic Alternative as an “extremist group” under the new terminology but are concerned that this term is largely rhetoric and would prefer the categorization of Patriotic Alternative as a proscribed group.
Shock at the Governments Treatment of Refugees and Asylum Seekers
As a local Green Party branch many of us have been shocked and horrified at this governments treatment of refugees and asylum seekers. We condemn the government’s inhumane segregation of asylum seekers into large segregated camps such as RAF Wethersfield, RAF Scampton and the Bibby Stockholm barge. We have joined in with our colleagues from Care4Calais and Stand Up To Racism to actively campaign against this form of asylum seeker accommodation which is widely reported as being inhumane and is proving to be damaging to the mental and physical health of the people housed within them. On 12th December 2023 this issue became a very real and public concern following the death of Leonard Farruku who died by suicide while being housed on the Bibby Stockholm barge. In response to this tragedy, local greens with members of Chichester Welcomes Refugees, The Red Rebels and other partner organisations held a vigil at The Cross in Chichester city centre to show solidarity with Leonard, his family and refugees who have tragically died while crossing the channel or whilst being housed in the UK asylum system while waiting for their asylum claim to be processed. When Leonard died the coroner in charge gave the UK government 6 weeks to produce a statement on Leonard’s death. To this date, no such statement has been released and Leonard’s family are getting ready to take legal action to force the government to launch an independent inquiry.
For more information on the Green Party of England and Wale’s policies on racism, migration, asylum and the Rwanda Plan please see the links below:
