“Migrants are more important than residents" A statement that the Labour party will live to regret?

Here growstuff -

www.lbc.co.uk/article/jack-straw-leaving-echr-good-friday-5HjdBhd_2/

eazybee

^Why weren’t bus loads of right wing, flag draped protesters flying around the country 2 years ago - when the Tories were in power🤔^

Because the country was not being flooded by thousands of illegal migrants at that time. Every attempt that was made to deport them was thwarted by Human Rights lawyers.
Why have you only realised just this?

None our way back then.

growstuff

Hmm! Two men were charged on Saturday in Epping. One was a man from Loughton; the other a man from Harlow. Neither sounds like an "Epping lady" to me.

The Pink Ladies were at the Canary Wharf protest.

Incidentally, the chief executive and largest shareholder of Britannia Hotels is doing quite nicely out of the Government contracts to house asylum seekers.

Its chief executive, founder, and largest shareholder remains Alex Langsam. Langsam is a non-domiciled UK resident, registered as living in Austria for tax purposes since 1999. His net personal worth was valued at £401 million in 2025 by The Sunday Times.

Nor does he pay tax here on the huge sums he earns from the Government.
Rachel Reeves? Any comment?

That was to FGT2. 16.21pm

Interesting.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Well, well. Leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) will not threaten peace in Northern Ireland, leading ­lawyers have claimed in a report backed by former Labour home secretary Jack Straw.

Source please.

I don't assume that at all.

BTW, is one of the "Pink Ladies" the Reform Branch Secretary, Karen McIvor? (Just wondering because she seems to be present in many of the photos I've seen (wearing pink in at least one photo.)

Well, well. Leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) will not threaten peace in Northern Ireland, leading ­lawyers have claimed in a report backed by former Labour home secretary Jack Straw.

growstuff

Hmm! Two men were charged on Saturday in Epping. One was a man from Loughton; the other a man from Harlow. Neither sounds like an "Epping lady" to me.

As I just posted, the Pink Ladies were not the only ones there.

Why assume they were one homogenous group?

woodenspoon

Keir’s been on the bbc. In no particular order: he has a flag of St George; he absolutely wants the hotels closed down; he wouldn’t like an asylum seekers hotel in his road; he wouldn’t want his daughter walking past a load of male migrants.

He must, according to some on here, be a racist.

X posts!

Presumably you are aware that there are no schools in the immediate vicinity of the hotel.
Of course, I taught at a school in Epping but won't name it!
The alleged untoward behaviour from asylum seekers towards the school girls takes place around Domino's and Tescos, not outside the schools, but the girls have to get to school past these areas.

Hmm! Two men were charged on Saturday in Epping. One was a man from Loughton; the other a man from Harlow. Neither sounds like an "Epping lady" to me.

escaped

Why are you so concerned by these Epping ladies StripeyGran? The police present at the scene will decide whether their behaviour is violent or against the law. My understanding is that the protest was peaceful, and that the police arrested one lady because she protested on the site of the civic centre, not for any other reason.
Pink Ladies was apparently set up by a 70 year old pensioner who works in a food bank. Sorry, I don't have her name. Most ladies I know in Epping, professionally and personally, have always been articulate and reasonable, not hurlers of abuse. That's what they are like.

The police in Epping are not going to provide additional protection for children at the start of the school year. My guess is that mothers, or grandmother's will be out on the High Street accompanying their children to school because they have concerns about their children being approached by strangers from the hotel.

According to a report I read, it was a peaceful protest by the Pink Ladies at Canary Wharf.

“We wish to clarify reports circulating in the media that a police officer was “punched in the face.” This is not what happened.
“In reality, a young policewoman deployed her pepper spray incorrectly and accidentally injured herself in the process.
“Far from being attacked, she was supported by our members, who immediately offered assistance by providing baby wipes and water to help relieve her discomfort.

“Instead, inaccurate reports of violence have been circulated, which unfairly portray the protesters and distort the truth of what took place.

“At the same time, the police use of pepper spray caused real harm to peaceful demonstrators and bystanders.
“A 12-year-old boy was sprayed directly in the eyes. Our 70-year-old Pink Lady leader also suffered the effects of pepper spray, as did a News journalist who was covering the event.
“These incidents highlight the serious risks caused by reckless crowd-control tactics that indiscriminately affect children, elderly people, and members of the press.
www.standard.co.uk/news/london/canary-wharf-migrant-hotel-protest-pink-ladies-met-police-b1245357.html

There will of course, have been others at protests other than the Pink Ladies and other peaceful protestors who will give all protestors a bad name for violence.

After some of the violent protests we have seen over the summer where police were attacked, perhaps it is understandable, too, that the police have become more heavy-handed in their response to protestors.

The bottom line is - are these concerns valid and is the Government listening to the concerns of residents?

Keir’s been on the bbc. In no particular order: he has a flag of St George; he absolutely wants the hotels closed down; he wouldn’t like an asylum seekers hotel in his road; he wouldn’t want his daughter walking past a load of male migrants.

He must, according to some on here, be a racist.

westendgirl

I don't remember emotions being stirred up in quite the same way when Chris Philp , as Immigration Minister opened the Bell Hotel in Epping during the last government., without consulting the community.
This time the great stirrers have been doing their best to cause trouble. The great stirrers being Farage , Robinson , the far right and their ilk.

I didn't realise Philp opened it. Oh! The irony!

escaped

Why are you so concerned by these Epping ladies StripeyGran? The police present at the scene will decide whether their behaviour is violent or against the law. My understanding is that the protest was peaceful, and that the police arrested one lady because she protested on the site of the civic centre, not for any other reason.
Pink Ladies was apparently set up by a 70 year old pensioner who works in a food bank. Sorry, I don't have her name. Most ladies I know in Epping, professionally and personally, have always been articulate and reasonable, not hurlers of abuse. That's what they are like.

The police in Epping are not going to provide additional protection for children at the start of the school year. My guess is that mothers, or grandmother's will be out on the High Street accompanying their children to school because they have concerns about their children being approached by strangers from the hotel.

So the ones who have been hurling bad language and abuse at the police aren't "Epping ladies". Who are they?

Presumably you are aware that there are no schools in the immediate vicinity of the hotel. My guess is that the police might very well have some officers outside the schools at the beginning and end of the school day. It would certainly be cheaper than having to police protests and having officers hurt and vehicles damaged. Most primary school pupils will be accompanied by their parents/carers anyway. In any case, the stats show that most sexual and violent crimes in Epping over the last year haven't been carried out by asylum seekers.

I don't remember emotions being stirred up in quite the same way when Chris Philp , as Immigration Minister opened the Bell Hotel in Epping during the last government., without consulting the community.
This time the great stirrers have been doing their best to cause trouble. The great stirrers being Farage , Robinson , the far right and their ilk.

Teazel2

Starmer insists on following the rule of law until it doesnt suit him to do so.

Please explain that and give some examples.

Why are you so concerned by these Epping ladies StripeyGran?

I am concerned about a few things. Large numbers of single men who we know little about, being placed in Hotels. This must be one of most ill thought ideas ever. A recipe for disaster.
It was bound to stir up strong emotions.
I am concerned that fueled by perceived lack of fairness, possibly poverty and want people are mobilised. Add to that the rhetoric that so called " illegals" are all sex pests we have a tinder box. The likes of Yaxley Lennon and social media fan the flames.
I am very concerned about what the UK has turned into.

Why are you so concerned by these Epping ladies StripeyGran? The police present at the scene will decide whether their behaviour is violent or against the law. My understanding is that the protest was peaceful, and that the police arrested one lady because she protested on the site of the civic centre, not for any other reason.
Pink Ladies was apparently set up by a 70 year old pensioner who works in a food bank. Sorry, I don't have her name. Most ladies I know in Epping, professionally and personally, have always been articulate and reasonable, not hurlers of abuse. That's what they are like.

The police in Epping are not going to provide additional protection for children at the start of the school year. My guess is that mothers, or grandmother's will be out on the High Street accompanying their children to school because they have concerns about their children being approached by strangers from the hotel.

Starmer insists on following the rule of law until it doesnt suit him to do so.

Primrose53

Oreo

StripeyGran

I have never been on any kind of protest in my life but then neither had most of the Pink Ladies (from what they said on TV) they just felt this was something they had to do to keep their children and the rest of the community safe

No they felt they had to get together with their mates and hurl abuse at people they know nothing about.

Children need to be safe, that's why we have the police, safeguarding and so on.

Where were police and safeguarding when this man continually bothered 14 year old girls in the town centre?
What you say about the mothers is just pure unpleasantness.

Oreo. It is unpleasant and also an absolute lie. The Pink Ladies protested peacefully.

Its quite a clever idea tbf, mobilising a lot of women and giving them a group identity. A cutie name with echoes of the past.

What are they really these people I wonder? Why do they have links with the Homeland Party?

Be careful what you wish for. In my opinion a Reform government would be worse than Trump - full of bluster, damaging people's lives, Ministers with absolutely no experience and worse.

Oreo

StripeyGran

I have never been on any kind of protest in my life but then neither had most of the Pink Ladies (from what they said on TV) they just felt this was something they had to do to keep their children and the rest of the community safe

No they felt they had to get together with their mates and hurl abuse at people they know nothing about.

Children need to be safe, that's why we have the police, safeguarding and so on.

Where were police and safeguarding when this man continually bothered 14 year old girls in the town centre?
What you say about the mothers is just pure unpleasantness.

Oreo. It is unpleasant and also an absolute lie. The Pink Ladies protested peacefully.

Resources are extremely stretched, as is safeguarding which is evident from some of the dreadful happenings involving children we have heard about for years.

Unfortunately, children are not always believed by the authorities and parents do have to be protective, especially if, as you say, police resources are so limited.