A Sussex town has been split in two after the UK Government announced plans to move more than 500 asylum seekers into a former army camp on the edge of its boundary. On one side, a vocal anti-migrant movement now holds regular protests and marches, while the pro-migrant group has taken to organising secret meetings after being branded "traitors" by their opponents and threatened with violence, including attacks and rape.

Anyone hoping to attend a meeting of the underground pro-migrant network in Crowborough, East Sussex, must be verified and the ages of those at the closed-curtain sessions range from men and women in their 20s to their 70s. Thus far, it is the anti-migrant movement that has made the headlines, with recent marches involving hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people parading through the streets armed with Union flags and placards and chanting anti-government slogans. Meanwhile, the pro-migrant group has been secretly organising donations and workshops for the migrant men being housed in their town.

Since January, the Crowborough Training Camp has been used by the Government to accommodate male, adult asylum seekers, with plans to eventually house over 500 people. The East Sussex town is home to just under 23,000 people, based on 2024 estimates.

The anti-migrant movement took to the streets on March 1 after a High Court judge ruled on February 27 that a judicial review into the Government's decision could not proceed after the first occupants were brought to the camp. The Home Office said the Government was "removing the incentives drawing illegal migrants to Britain".

"That is why we will close every single asylum hotel, moving illegal migrants into basic accommodation like military barracks," a spokesperson said.

“I want to be really clear, this is not about race, it’s about the appropriateness of putting […] unemployed, undocumented men half a mile from my children,” one mother on a march told ITV News.

*** Ensure our latest news headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings. ***

“Why do they have to be within a community?” asked another woman. “They don’t speak English, there’s nothing for them to do around here.”

In 2022, Crowborough was known as one of the UK's most friendly towns for asylum seekers, with it and nearby towns and villages welcoming around 600 Ukrainian refugees. The military site was also previously used to accommodate Afghan families evacuated during the withdrawal from Kabul in 2021, according to the Government. However, the town has now become the epicentre of the anti-migrant movement.

The underground pro-migrant network, SAMAS, is currently working on getting permission to carry out its classes and workshops in the former army camp. Currently, their work mostly consists of putting together welcome boxes for the men, including basic necessities like clean underwear, snacks and deodorant, as well as a multi-language note welcoming them to Crowborough. At their meetings, volunteers are instructed on how to act and communicate with the asylum seekers, planning music and art workshops, preparing English language classes and identifying who has skills that may help the men, such as trauma therapy or knowledge of how to grow fruit and vegetables.

“We are not encouraging or creating the situation that these men are in, we are just helping them once they are here”, one volunteer told ITV.

“I don’t see how that is being a traitor."

Newcomers have been warned about having their doors kicked in, about being followed and threatened, both in person and online.

"They were talking about raping my wife and killing me, that I was the problem in the country," the organiser of the movement, who wished to remain anonymous for his own safety, said.