Local depot for refugee donations

[Itsme]

The migrants, mostly men, in Calais have for “some reason” chosen not to seek asylum in one of the many safe countries they have passed through on their travel to reach their ultimate goal of asylum in the UK. Added to this there are migrants travelling from other safe countries around the world, disposing of their travel documents and then claiming to be Syrian refugees in their quest to enter the UK. Why are they so keen and adamant to reach the UK at any cost I wonder?

I have also spoken to someone that is booked to go on this latest trip and they are now very concerned for their own safety due to reports that the Calais migrants are attacking UK volunteers. A very civil way to treat the people that are trying to help them in their time of need and these are the people that we should allow into the UK????

On tv last week they interviewed migrants living in the UK who were given free food, accommodation and probably spending money and they were still complaining that it was not to a good enough standard for them. If they were genuine refugees then this must be better from whence they came and they should therefore be grateful for what they have been given. Surprisingly they did not comment on the free NHS service we provide.

If they are in Calais waiting to cross the channel then this is their choice. As previously mentioned they could have claimed asylum in any of the countries they have travelled across on route. The people I feel sorry for are the families that spent £1000s on short breaks to take their children to Disney Land and other European destinations only for them to be stuck at the train terminals due to these migrants entering the tunnels. No compensation or refunds for their lost accommodation or tickets for days that could not be used due to delays. And no I am not one of those caught up in the recent Chunnel chaos.

Also, what about the hauliers that face fines in the thousands for each migrant found in the back of their lorries and the tens of thousands of pounds worth of produce that has to be destroyed due to contamination as soon as a migrant enters a vehicle. People will soon start complaining when the prices of goods are increased to offset these losses.

I have no problem helping genuine refugees and by judging the support for the Calais economic migrants on WOL, my opinion may well be in the minority but personally I think these missions are only compounding the problem.

[mb1]

Itsme you justdon't understand how refugees flee. They travel illegally because they have no other choice. They can't leave their country by air because carriers won't take them and because they risk arrest just turning up at an airport. They dispose of travel documents because they're terrified of being identified and deported to their country of origin. They run until they feel safe. Benefits for refugees in Britain are very poor, Germany is much more generous. The Daily Mail arguments about this, which because of racists like Farage dominate the debate, ars just rubbish. People who have English as a second language head to the UK. People with French tend to head to France and Belgium. If they wanted to go to where they'd be treated best they'dhead to Sweden.My point stands, there's a complete lack of compassion in the way the desperate plight of these people is discussed in this country.

[Steve]

I wish people would stop accusing Nigel Farage of being a racist. He is not. He's a xenophobe.

[Martin]

I think that a number of English (British) people are concerned because of the apparent number of migrants that seem to be heading this way. Over the past 100-150 years, we have had large numbers of immigrants from all round the world eg Jews, Chinese, Italian, Caribbean, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Polish, African, East European, etc etc, and you can form your own opinion as to whether or not you think that a large proportion of the different races have integrated, and now mingle seamlessly with "native" Brits. Obviously some do, and some don't.

We all know that different races and cultures understandably, and certainly in the beginning, tend to stick together, Brits do the same for instance when they emigrate to Spain, and we can all think of many examples where foreigners have settled in Britain in large communities where they don't speak English and see no real need to integrate. Fair enough, that's human nature. There is a fear though that thousands more coming into the country all at once, may be difficult to manage in terms of housing, schools, welfare etc and will have a negative impact on the immediate areas where they are placed. I can understand those concerns, and to label anyone who expresses those concerns as racist, is missing the point.

[The Masked Woler]

........ with "native" Brits. .

I have wondered what this means and had a discussion with a BNP member as to what he meant by British when he complained of the immigrants destroying our culture. He was at a loss to come up with a definition but finally settled on all your ancestors being born in England going back 250 years which would rule out practically everyone I would think.

He also seemed to think English and British were interchangeable which they aren't.

We than moved on to what he thought was English culture - he could only come up with Shakespeare and Milton but couldn't explain how the immigrants were destroying these.

While I agree we can't just take everyone who want's to come, we are very small and overcrowded (there are US States with a larger area and much smaller population) I find the lack of compassion very sad - these are human beings not swarms or hordes and many have lost everything. I have seen calls to burn their camps and throw them over fences or even shoot them, not to mention the infamous "Show me pictures of coffins, show me bodies floating in water"

[Pat-H]

The press represent the Rightwing views in this country for the most part and that includes most of the media as well.
Rightwing views are conservative and protective. And ultimately if you want to protect, preserve and not share you reach a point where hard choices have to be made. You have to give or you have to let others suffer.
The current moral conflicts are based on the created fear that adding say 20,000 people to our population of 64 million will massively dilute "us" and squeeze our resources. Even at a 100,000 its a fraction of 1 percent of the UK population.
But still we are considering just how many must die and suffer before that could be considered. Is what we are trying to "protect" worth so much more than non UK lives? I guess for some it certainly is. And if people dying is acceptable then suffering must be ok.
It's just choices. But it's important to find out the actual facts.

[Itsme]

Cologne

[mb1]

Itsme, are you trying to suggest that no white european has ever committed sexual assault?

[Martin]

It does seem rather an odd way to express your gratitude to the country that showed you compassion and took you in. Perhaps they are actually missing the mayhem and violence that they left behind.
Still, fortunately it was only 1000 or so causing havoc, no doubt the remaining 999,000 spread around Germany, were in their local bier-keller with arms linked to their new German friends singing "Auld Lang Syne."

And I'm sure that those that come to Britain will also swiftly integrate peacefully into our way of life.

[craig]

Cologne

Cologne probably isn't one of the things needed at the local depots, but everything is useful.
Warm blankets, sanitary products, nappies, soap, toothpaste and clothes are more like what is required.

I'm not sure if there are still local collection points at the moment but I'll be sure to post if I hear anything.