Green councillor gets grandkids to send Valentine cards to immigrants at Crowburgh

3. ^Who resides at the Crowborough site?
The site accommodates single adult male asylum seekers between the ages of 18 and 65. Asylum seekers arrive at the site following initial screening checks. The majority of illegal migrants claiming asylum in the UK are single adult males.
www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-accommodation-at-military-sites-factsheets/crowborough-training-camp-east-sussex-factsheet

Why would anyone thinking that children making Valentine's cards for complete strangers is acceptable - no matter who they are intended for.
👍

The most sensible thing to have done, is to send a card of welcome, and not associated it with St Valentine.
I think most would agree!

I've heard representatives from the Crowborough community state they have previously, happily played host to assylum families. The issue in this instance 600 young men!

Never mind the Valentine card and its mixed message maybe some instruction, is there ever any? about how to behave in a respectful way around host communities

I suggested that on another thread but it was not well received!
As well as English language lessons, some lessons in the cultures and norms of the country which they hope will become home would be a good idea for them and for the wider population too.

Perhaps this Councillor could set about arranging that instead, rather than sending them the wrong message.

Galaxy

The damage done with regard to safeguarding under the guise of kindness has considerable.

Explain

The damage done with regard to safeguarding under the guise of kindness has considerable.

The most sensible thing to have done, is to send a card of welcome, and not associated it with St Valentine.

Welcoming people in distress, poverty and homelessness is rather a kind thing to do I think.

At least we have not yet gone down the USA road of modern day concentration camps. Listening to an Irish person who has spent the last 5-6 months in one of these camps, the conditions are horrendous, they do not have enough to eat, no access to fresh air or outside and kept in a single room, - tinies are being kept in a “baby jail”

Let us pray that we never get to that stage, although frankly I’m not holding my breath.

Some comments on this thread are notably unpleasant, and rude.

Whoever coined the phrase "useful idiots" albeit in another context just about sums up this woman. I can't make up my mind if she is just that, or merely provocative. She probably does know that a fair proportion of these men will have come from societies where the parameters between the sexes are enforced in such a way that women are expected to be submissive and certainly not an instigator of initiating a relationship. They probably may not understand the nuanced dynamics of how "the tongue in cheek not to be taken at face value" mixed messages are contained in a Valentine and how those could be construed by a person from an entirely different culture.

She is also completely ignoring the fears of the local community. Fears that would have been heightened by the recent in the news case of a 12 year old lured from a playground by an asylum seeker and raped, filming some of the abuse on his phone. He'd been here all of 4 months. My question to Mrs Green Councillor "your thoughts on how you'd feel if that were your child/grandchild?" Not an isolated incident, there have been numerous assaults in and around the country. Here's a statistic from Bournemouth, where there are 3 hotels, somewhere in the region of 50 odd asylum seekers accused of sexual assaults awaiting trial. And yes that's hard on the ones who would be the prospective law abiding citizens. How can any community know how lurking amongst the 600, given how such incidents are commonplace, such a scenario won't be playing out in Crowborough It's all very well saying it's hard being an immigrant, unfortunately the lines are blurred with so many undocumented young men and their unknown intentions. How hard is it also to be the child or woman dragged into bushes and raped by one or more than one of these men.

Never mind the Valentine card and its mixed message maybe some instruction, is there ever any? about how to behave in a respectful way around host communities.

The language here is doing a lot of heavy lifting. “Young single men” is being used as if it’s a warning label. They’re still people.

The language of a Valentine's card is the language of romantic love, possibly sexual.

That is why the language is wrong, the message this misguided woman is sending to these mainly young men is wrong.

As I said, a Welcome card would send a different message but on her own behalf, not that of all her residents.

She's daft.

Basgetti

Syracute

The cards are just a harmless gesture as they are anonymous.
I am sure they bring a smile to these people.
I think irs not easy being in an immigrant. People make snap judgements and it’s just appalling.

No, what is ridiculous is coercing children into giving gestures of romantic love to grown men, of whatever nationality.
Repulsive.

Yes, this. Why would anyone thinking that children making Valentine's cards for complete strangers is acceptable - no matter who they are intended for.

Message deleted by Gransnet. Quotes deleted post.

Yet another reason not to vote Green. But I wish I didn’t feel, the need to say this, or to feel that Greens often have lunatic ideas.

I understand that people worry about children’s safety, and that’s fair. But describing a whole group as “young single men” as if that automatically makes them dangerous is exactly the kind of thinking that dehumanises people.

Teaching children empathy and kindness isn’t crazy - it’s how we stop fear from turning into prejudice. If there are safeguarding concerns, that’s one discussion. But assuming bad intent based purely on immigration status doesn’t help anyone.

The language here is doing a lot of heavy lifting. “Young single men” is being used as if it’s a warning label. They’re still people.

We can talk about safeguarding without stripping others of their humanity.

Syracute

The cards are just a harmless gesture as they are anonymous.
I am sure they bring a smile to these people.
I think irs not easy being in an immigrant. People make snap judgements and it’s just appalling.

Syracute: words (almost) fail me.

Would you voice your naive narrative to the mother of the 12 year old girl who was abducted and raped by an asylum seeker?

Yes, he was convicted and sentenced but she will spend every minute of the rest of her life with the horror of that incident ever present.

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

She will be suggesting that the local schools encourage all the children to make cards for them next ……. what a silly woman!

Well the Green Party has welcomed some dodgy people into the fold, so a councillor with such muddled thinking isn't totally out of place.
How she decided she was the 'spokeswoman' for the community beggars belief, given the protests that have been voiced against the camp.

TerriBull as usual sums it up well.

Syracute perhaps you don't understand the meaning behind sending a Valentine's card?

Basgetti

Syracute

The cards are just a harmless gesture as they are anonymous.
I am sure they bring a smile to these people.
I think irs not easy being in an immigrant. People make snap judgements and it’s just appalling.

No, what is ridiculous is coercing children into giving gestures of romantic love to grown men, of whatever nationality.
Repulsive.

This!

A Valentine card is not a Welcome card. ❣
It is token of romantic love, often secret.

What kind of message is this idiot woman sending and involving her grandchildren too? I wonder how old they are?

She didn't really think it through, did she. Completely the wrong judgement.

In view of recent prosecutions of migrant sexual attacks on teenage girls (yes I know it’s not all of them) I would worry this was sending totally the wrong message.

I have no words.

God help Gorton & Denton if these loons get in 😳

Syracute

The cards are just a harmless gesture as they are anonymous.
I am sure they bring a smile to these people.
I think irs not easy being in an immigrant. People make snap judgements and it’s just appalling.

There are no words 🤦🏼‍♀️

Let us hope this woman is sacked immediately! IMO the police need to be involved!!

Should have said appalling, not ridiculous. Though it’s that, too.