Refugee rights groups to hold welcome event outside Napier Barracks in Folkestone

17 October 2020: Morning Star: Far-right thugs harassing asylum-seekers whenever they leave MoD site in Kent where they are being held, campaigners tell the Star

Refugee rights groups to hold welcome event outside Napier Barracks in Folkestone.

ASYLUM-SEEKERS held in a former army camp in Kent are being harassed and intimidated by far-right activists every time they leave the site, campaigners told the Morning Star today.

Refugee rights groups are holding a welcome event on Saturday outside Napier Barracks in Folkestone to show support for the asylum-seekers and “undercut” the hateful messages of a small number of racists.

Bridget Chapman from the Kent Refugee Action Network, one of the protest organisers, said: “There’s a narrative being pushed by the far right which says that people in Folkestone don’t want fellow human beings accommodated in the town.

“We know that is not true: we are overwhelmed by constant messages offering help and support for the new arrivals.”

Asylum-seekers have been moved to the former army barracks in recent weeks by the Home Office amid an apparent shortage of accommodation. [Read more: https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/far-right-thugs-harassing-asylum-seekers-whenever-they-leave-mod-site-in-kent-where-they-are-being-held-campaigners-tell-the-star ]