What to expect from RAF Scampton protests in Lincoln this weekend

Two separate groups will march through central Lincoln to protest government plans to house asylum seekers at RAF Scampton.

A heavy police presence is expected in the city centre throughout the morning and afternoon.

Although the groups both oppose the Home Office plans, they hold very different views on asylum seekers and refugees.

The organisers behind one protest appear to be similar to those who held a similar Enough is Enough march in Skegness earlier this year.

People from all over the country are expected to attend, with some organisers being based as far away as Leeds.

Read more about one of the protest organisers here – The far-right poster boy organising Scampton protest in Lincoln

The Lincoln and District Trades Council (Lincoln TUC) will also be marching in Lincoln on Saturday, claiming the other protest group are hijacking local issues to “spread racist hate and division in our city”.

‘Hitler lookalike’ Alek Yerbury pictured at the protest in Skegness | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Alek Yerbury, one of those behind the protest itself, disputes the TUC’s claims and says “it will not be an acceptable outcome to just move the problem into the next constituency, or find another village to victimise.”

This is everything you’ll need to know ahead of this weekend’s protests – including each side’s message and aims, the locations and times to be aware of, and how police are addressing the plans.

Protests: Location and Time

| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Lincoln Trades Council will gather outside Be At One off St Martin’s Square at 11am on Saturday, before marching down the High Street towards Speakers Corner and the Cornhill Quarter at 11.30am.

Then at midday, the rival protest will meet beside the River Witham at City Square.

Speeches from organisers are expected at City Square, but a specific route for any possible march is currently unclear.

Police presence

A police officer in Lincoln city centre. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police

Lincolnshire Police has been in communication with the organsiers of both protests, and will be monitoring and patrolling the events in Lincoln on the day.

The force says it is its duty to “facilitate peaceful protest”, as well as ensuring officers are on hand to de-escalate any hostility.

Superintendent Lee Pache said: “The right to peaceful protest is a key part of our democracy and across the world people look to the UK for the way we facilitate and uphold that right.

“Balancing the rights of people to present differing views alongside the rights of those who might find their day disrupted can be a challenge, but it’s one we are well prepared for.

“We are in close contact with the organisers, and our specially-trained officers will be on hand during the day to ensure the safety of protestors, the public and police officers involved, as well as minimise serious disruption to the local community.”

Save Our Scampton

The Save Our Scampton message was issued loud and clear in Lincoln. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

A local residents’ protest group fighting to save RAF Scampton has distanced itself from this weekend’s events.

The Save Our Scampton group were out rallying and leafleting the public in Lincoln on Saturday, April 15 – calling government proposals the “wrong plan” in the “wrong place”.

Event organiser Sarah Carter, who lives on the RAF Scampton base, told The Lincolnite that protests in Lincoln this weekend are not aligned with the Save Our Scampton ethos, stating “it is absolutely not the message we would like to send.”

In a statement, Save Our Scampton group said: “The protest has been organised by a far-right group from Leeds, and there will be a counter-protest by Lincoln Trades Council and Stand Up To Racism.

“Save Our Scampton is a local campaign, being fought by local people whose lives will be affected by the changes taking place.

“Our campaign is also neutral. We are not politically aligned, and as a result we have no wish to participate on either side of the protest.”

Hamish Falconer outlined the RAF Scampton plans to the Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer during a visit to Scunthorpe. | Photo: Hamish Falconer

This view has been shared by Labour’s Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Lincoln, Hamish Falconer, who set up a petition calling for RAF Scampton to not be turned into a detention centre. The petition has over 66,000 signatures.

Mr Falconer said: “I understand far right activists from outside Lincoln are trying to organise a rally in the city, using RAF Scampton’s closure as a pretext, as they have in Hull, Skegness and a range of other places across the country.

“They are not welcome here, I oppose them, and they should stay away. The community in Scampton have already been absolutely clear that the far right have absolutely nothing to do with our campaign and they will not attend.

“The media must make sure they listen to those voices from the community affected, not hate-fuelled opportunists from outside the county.

“I am fighting the Home Office’s proposals for RAF Scampton because they will cost us investment and heritage opportunities but also because they will be utterly inhumane to anyone sent to the bleak shipping container camp they intend to establish.

“I am proud of Lincoln’s history of providing refuge to those fleeing persecution, as I know most residents are: we have no time for this kind of division.”

What the protestors are hoping to achieve

| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Lincoln Trades Council says protestors “blaming refugees” cannot be tolerated, instead calling on frustrations to be levelled towards the Home Office for sanctioning these asylum centre plans.

A spokesperson for the Lincoln TUC said: “We are opposed to the spreading of racist hate and division in our city. Lincoln and the surrounding villages have a long history of welcoming refugees.

“During the war against Hitler and his Nazi regime, RAF Scampton was a safe haven for refugees fleeing the tyranny of Nazi-occupied Europe.

“Refugees are not to blame for Tory-imposed pay restraint, the threat to thousands of jobs or the ongoing funding crisis in the NHS and our public services.

“The Conservative government is seeking to blame refugees in an attempt to deflect anger away from the real reasons for the cost of living crisis and onto vulnerable and traumatised people fleeing war, climate disaster and persecution.

“If the Government really wants to tackle people-smuggling gangs then it should be opening up safe routes of passage, processing claims quickly, allowing those who can work to work, and supporting those who need help to rebuild their lives.”

Rival organiser Alek Yerbury says he “despises the Conservative Party” and blames “internationalists, leftists and communists” who “created the problem in Scampton to begin with, and continue to make the problem even worse.”

Alek says the overriding message of this protest is clear: “Not in Scampton, Not in Britain.”

He adds: “We will not accept an asylum centre in Scampton, and we will not accept one anywhere else in this country either.

“What we are hoping to achieve on Saturday is to mobilise and marshall the forces at our disposal, that are prepared to actively demand a resolution regarding the Scampton issue.

“Once we have done this, we will know what level of support we can bring to bear on the council, Home Office and their allies in order to achieve the resolution that we desire.”

Why are people protesting?

RAF Scampton signs have been removed | Photo: James Turner

At the beginning of March, West Lindsey District Council unveiled ambitious but exciting plans to purchase the former RAF Scampton site and bring in up to £300 million of investment to the area.

It would have seen the base continue as an operational airfield, as well as enhancing the site by providing business, aerospace and education opportunities, while also preserving the heritage of the home of the Dambusters.

The Home Office has revealed plans for an initial two military bases in the UK to be used to house asylum seekers, as the government frantically looks to tackle backlogs and prevent dangerous Channel crossings.

These sites, in Wethersfield, Essex and Scampton, Lincolnshire, would house up to 3,700 men across the two bases. While this is reportedly a temporary measure, there has been no indication as to how long the sites will be used in this way.

Local people feel betrayed and let down by the government, as some £300 million of investment into their area now looks to be scuppered – a feeling shared by Lincolnshire MPs Sir Edward Leigh and Karl McCartney, and local authorities too.

West Lidnsey District Council is considering legal action against the Home Office after being left in the dark over plans, and will be bolestered by the recent bringing of legal action by Braintree District Council – which also wants to block asylum seeker plans at a military base.

For a full run-down, read this story from March 31 – RAF Scampton: Everything we know about the migrant camp plans so far

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