Anti-migrant protesters urged not to pay council tax if asylum seekers are housed in local military barracks

The Ministry of Defence has made the site available to the Home Office as part of efforts to shut down asylum hotels across the country.

The demonstration, which saw participants wearing white T-shirts and carrying signs whilst chanting "Send them home", was the second in a series of three protests arranged by local residents with backing from the Crowborough Shield campaign group.

Sussex Police confirmed that it proceeded peacefully with no arrests made.

Nick Tenconi, who leads the UK Independence Party and serves as chief operating officer of Turning Point UK, addressed the crowd with stark warnings about community safety.

"You are campaigning because you don't want your daughters and wives raped and murdered," he told protesters.

"It is not too late; you must get organised. You must form patrols. Men must collaborate."

Mr Tenconi framed the protest as part of what he called "the battle for the soul of our nation" and advocated for mass deportations.

The demonstration drew hundreds of participants who marched through Crowborough's streets, with many expressing anger at what they see as inadequate consultation about the Home Office's plans for their town.

Sarah White, a 40-year-old activist wearing a top emblazoned with "Stand your ground", announced to the crowd that she had already halted her council tax payments, claiming "the councillors and the police don't care" about local residents.

Ms White was arrested earlier this year for scaling a council building to display a Union flag after speaking at Epping's Bell Hotel, but saw the charges subsequently dropped.

She told protesters: "I've spent months outside the Bell Hotel along with loads of other people. We have protested there, and what has it done?"

She argued that demonstrations had failed to prevent "undocumented, illegal men" being accommodated at the Bell Hotel or stop "crimes being committed in our community".

"I am making a stand. I've stopped paying my council tax. I would encourage every single person to stop paying their council tax," she declared.

Paying council tax is a legal requirement, and failure to do so can lead to enforcement action by the local authority, including deductions from wages or even a prison sentence.

Local councillors have thrown their weight behind the community's resistance to the Home Office proposals.

Councillor Andrew Wilson, representing Crowborough South East Ward, described Sunday's demonstration as "a fantastic sight to see" from residents who felt they'd been "kept in the dark" about the government's intentions.

"It's been a fantastic community response to a Home Office plan that is completely inappropriate," he said.

He pointed to problems at other locations where asylum seekers have been accommodated, particularly mentioning issues at asylum hotels in Epping.

"There's not a lot to do in Crowborough - we're a very small town. This is introducing a level of risk which I'm not sure the Home Office has appreciated," Cllr Wilson, who has resided in the town for 11 years, explained.

The government has outlined security arrangements for the site, including mandatory criminality checks using biometric data for all asylum seekers and round-the-clock security presence.

Wealden District Council has formally opposed the plans, with council leader James Partridge noting at a November meeting that many Crowborough residents are "justifiably very worried" about the prospect of 540 single men arriving in unsuitable accommodation with little to occupy their time.

"The risks are obvious, and the information about mitigations provided so far by the Home Office has not allayed people's fears," he stated.

Labour has committed to closing all asylum hotels before the next election, with Sir Keir Starmer reportedly pressing ministers privately to accelerate this timeline.

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