On the 5th and 17th August Blackwater Valley Friends of the Earth together with Stand Up to Racism and local Quakers had a public awareness days regarding asylum seekers and refugees. We were able to provide information about the asylum seeker process and engage in conversation. We also had a statement for people to sign if they supported the concept of Refugees are Welcome in Rushmoor and if they wanted to join a campaign against the racist targeting of refugees and give them a welcome when they arrive.

Blackwater Valley FoE: Oppose stigmatisation of refugees and say that refugees fleeing persecution, disaster and war should be welcome in this country. On the 5th August we were surrounded by hostile people who were anti-asylum seekers coming to Rushmoor. They were aggressive and intent on disrupting our action. However the signatures kept coming. There was no disruption on the 17th August which made for a pleasant change and police did not need to be present.