Nearly 92% of Piddington voters backed a symbolic secession after the government proposed housing 1,256 male asylum seekers nearby<\/p>\n
An English village has overwhelmingly voted to \u201csecede\u201d from the UK in protest over government plans to house more than 1,200 male migrants at a nearby former military base. The referendum in Piddington, Oxfordshire has no legal force but drew nearly 92% turnout.
\nThe result announced on Wednesday showed that 285 residents backed leaving the UK, 26 voted against, and one ballot was spoiled. Organizers staged the symbolic referendum in protest against plans to house up to 1,256 male asylum seekers at the nearby MOD Bicester site.
\n\u201cWe are Piddington, the village that roars,\u201d parish council vice chair Susannah Parden declared as she announced the result. Council chair Tim McNally called the vote \u201can example of democracy in operation,\u201d adding: \u201cWe went into this village hall as the underdogs \u2013 we had a plucky idea. We have given a message to the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
UK\u2019s Burnham calls for more housing for illegal immigrants<\/p>\n
The ballot asked residents whether Piddington should \u201csecede from the United Kingdom and pursue self-determination,\u201d while signs proclaiming the \u201cPrincipality of Piddington\u201d appeared around the village. More than 130 local women have also written to female MPs warning that their \u201csafety, security, and freedoms\u201d would be threatened if the asylum center opens.
\nDespite the overwhelming vote, the government said it will not reconsider the plan. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told the BBC that abandoning the proposed center would be unfair to other communities already housing large numbers of migrants.
\nPrime Minister Andy Burnham likewise said he understood the village\u2019s \u201cstrength of feeling,\u201d but insisted that asylum accommodation had to be shared fairly across the country. Using the former military site is part of the Home Office\u2019s push to move migrants out of hotels.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Anti-immigrant protesters clash with UK police over new boat arrivals (VIDEOS)<\/p>\n
The Piddington referendum comes as the UK grapples with continued illegal crossings of the English Channel and mounting pressure over asylum accommodation.
\nHundreds of anti-immigration protesters clashed with police in Portsmouth earlier this month after a boat carrying around 140 asylum seekers was brought ashore. Demonstrators blocked roads in an attempt to stop buses transporting the arrivals to a Home Office processing center, chanting \u201cstop the boats\u201d and \u201csend them back.\u201d
\nSome 33,000 people, mostly adult men, arrived in the UK by small boat in the year to July, accounting for around 88% of illegal arrivals, according to government data. A YouGov poll in August found 69% of Britons believe immigration over the past decade has been too high, while 43% said it had been mostly bad for the country, up from 33% in 2016.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Nearly 92% of Piddington voters backed a symbolic secession after the government proposed housing 1,256 male asylum seekers nearby An English village has overwhelmingly voted to \u201csecede\u201d from the UK…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38330,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t