Asylum seekers protesters to return to Skegness this month

The ‘Stop the Illegal Invasion’ demonstration has been organised by members of the Nationalist Support Detachment (NSD) group and is set to take place on Saturday, September 30.

Posters circulating on Facebook suggest that attendees will meet at the train station at 12:30pm and then march along Lumley Road towards the clock tower.

A similar event in February drew around 200 protesters to the seaside resort, necessitating a large police response. Banners reading “No more refugees” were displayed, and chants such as “We want our country back” resonated through the crowd.

However, several local residents have expressed reservations about these kinds of demonstrations.

East Lindsey District Councillor Billy Brookes (Skegness Urban District Society) remarked that while hotels may not be the most suitable accommodation for asylum seekers, far-right activists are not welcome in the town.

He said: “Local residents have real concerns about this but they are being overshadowed by this ulterior motive that these far-right protesters seem to be bringing to the area.

“These kinds of demonstrations make people who have genuine concerns apprehensive to express them because they don’t want to be associated with these people.

“The police have dealt with previous demonstrations amazingly so I don’t think there are any worries for the safety of the town. But we simply don’t want these kinds of people with ulterior motives here.”

One local resident, who wished to remain anonymous, also commented: “My personal opinion is that Skegness contains a small-minded and old-fashioned population. Anyone who is different is often pushed away or judged.”

Another resident simply described the planned event as “disgusting.”

Meanwhile, Mia shared her concerns about how the asylum-seeker hotels have impacted the town. She said: “They have disrupted our community and crime rates have risen. We have our own homeless people who have not received the same level of assistance.

“We are a popular tourist town. However, this has seriously impacted the economic market. A lot of tourists have said they will not be coming back as they felt uncomfortable.

“Local business owners have even said it feels like there has been a reduction of footfall this summer. Change needs to happen.”

‘Skegness should reject these hateful views’

Scott Pittsy, the main organiser, declined to speak to members of the press ahead of the event.

However, on his behalf, nationalist poster boy Alek Yerbury said: “Myself and my colleagues have organised to once again return to Skegness. This time, our objective is no longer to raise awareness of the issue.”

Yerbury continued: “People in Skegness already know how bad the situation is – there has recently been a rape in Tower Gardens as a direct result of the government policy of housing uninvited, unknown migrants in hotels.

“Our objective is to start highlighting what the solution to the problem is – a change of leadership and a focus on the good of the British people and not the rest of the world.

“To this end, we have organised a public meeting in Skegness on September 30, where we will outline the steps we believe need to be taken to start organising for change both locally and nationally.”