Wilderness Wood Cancels Asylum Seeker Event Amid Protests

0:00On April 3rd, a community hub called Wilderness Wood and Sussex scrapped plans for a training day aimed at helping male asylum seekers settle into. Britain, the event was set for Wednesday during school holidays, inviting guys from small boat crossings for woodland workshops on arts, crafts and emotional. Support, but locals got wind of it and shut it down fast. This spot sits just five miles from Crowboro, a hotspot in the immigration debate where 80 men arrived secretly at an old army base back in. January, the government plans to house up to 540 single male asylum seekers there to close down migrant hotels. Normally, the 60 acre woods hosts family picnics, Easter hunts, and kids for school. Residents from nearby had low down, showed up protesting, worried about safety for women and children around these fighting age men from war zones. Facebook groups exploded with anger, and some called it a threat to the village's quiet vibe with no shops or big draws.

1:00A few defended the venue, labeling the pushback as bullying against a small business. Owners Dan Morish and Emily Charkin, a married couple running the retreat, canceled after threats poured in. They posted online that they're not housing anyone and dropped the visit entirely. Meanwhile, weekly protests hit Crowboro every Sunday at 10am with locals suing the home office over the housing plans. Tensions like this highlight the raw divide and rural spots where family friendly woods clashed with big migration shifts, leaving everyone on edge for what's next.