CONTROVERSIAL politician and UKIP leader for Wales, Neil Hamilton, was in Penally on Saturday (Oct 10) to add his voice to the growing number of politicians and community leaders who think that former MOD training centre is a wholly inadequate location for emergency accommodation for asylum seekers.
But Hamilton went further, saying “We have no idea how many illegal immigrants there are in this country” and that “The Home Office doesn’t have a clue.”
His attendance in his capacity as a member of the Welsh Assembly didn’t go down well with some, with local Plaid Cymru leader Michael Williams and some local residents taking to social media to ask him to stay away.
Williams tweeted: “I note that you intend visiting [Penally]. I urge you to keep away as your visit will not do other than cause further concerns for local residents. In reply Neil Hamilton tweeted: “The local Plaid council leader doesn’t think Tenby locals have any concerns worth listening to and has warned me away from speaking to my constituents. No wonder the people of Penally feel forgotten.
Nevertheless, he did arrive on Saturday morning and addressed small crowd of anti-asylum seeker protestors with a megaphone.
He said: “I’m here this morning to say this is completely an unsuitable site to house these people, and anyway, none of these people have a legal right to be here in the United Kingdom.”
His view is at odds with the actual legal position, which is all of the asylum seekers in the camp completely lawfully, whilst their asylum claims are being processed.
With police units keeping a eye over proceedings, he went on to say: “They’ve all come from a safe country which is France we all know what that as they came across The Chanel on the small boats.”
“Another small party arrived yesterday we have a government that has no interest in protecting our borders and we are spending a billion pounds a year funding the asylum and refugee system – which is completely broken. “
“When they’ve had their appeals turned down the deportation orders are made, but 90% of them disappear.
“We have no idea how many illegal immigrants there are in this country – the Home Office doesn’t have a clue.”
“Do not believe the words of the Home Secretary, look at her actions …the action we see behind us.
“These people have no connection with this area at all and are being isolated, it’s the people of Tenby and Penally that are having to pay the price of the collapse of the immigration system.”
He added: “We know that The Government has no interest in the immigration system because we have six million immigrants which have come to Britain in the last 10 years.
“Three million have how left the country so we have added three million to the population of the United Kingdom – that’s a city the size of Swansea and every single year that they’ve added to our population.
“This is going to continue indefinitely unless we have a government that has a spine to do something about it
“So, I will continue to give you all my support to people of Tenby, Penally, Pembrokeshire and indeed the United Kingdom – because there are no public demands what we are seeing around us today.
“And we have a government that are not representative of the people of this country, and that goes for Cardiff as well!”
In an official statement last month, when he first heard about the news regards Penally, Neil Hamilton said: “The UK Government has given up trying to control illegal immigration and bogus asylum-seekers. Penally is about to pay the price.
“The useless Tories have totally lost control of illegal immigration. The Border Agency is a farce, the Home Office has no idea how many illegal migrants are in the UK, and bogus asylum seekers whose appeals have failed are rarely deported.
“These people are not asylum-seekers but economic migrants. The law says asylum seekers must seek refuge in the first safe country they enter. They all come here from other EU countries, so they are not entitled to asylum in the UK. They should be sent back across the Channel not dumped in Penally.
“Penally with only 850 inhabitants is about to have 250 young male migrants dumped on them and allowed to roam free.
“The Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru voted in the Senedd to make Wales a ‘Nation of Sanctuary’ open to all-comers. Conservatives talk tough about immigration but do nothing – 3,000,000 migrants have been added to the UK population since 2010.
“The people of Penally did not vote for mass immigration or migrant camps on their doorstep. None of us voted to add a city the size of Cardiff to the UK every year by mass immigration.
“Despite having the Secretary of State for Wales as the local MP, the UK Government puts out the welcome mat for Penally’s 250 new, diverse inhabitants. Labour, Lib-Dems and Plaid Cymru welcome migrants with open arms and think we should take even more. Only UKIP will put a stop to this scandalous abuse.
“The UK Government needs to get a grip and stop bogus asylum seekers now. But don’t hold your breath!”
