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Following last week’s referendum there have been reports from several parts of the country of incidents in which immigrants from the EU and elsewhere have been made to feel unwelcome.
On behalf of Histon & Impington Parish Council I would like to reassure the many people from other countries who live and work in Histon & Impington that nothing has changed here. They are welcome and their contributions to our community are appreciated.
We are fortunate to live where we do and the Parish Council will continue to promote the freedom which it gives us to be an open, tolerant and welcoming community.
I am glad that you think this David, but you should realise the devastating effect this referendum result has had on EU citizens and their families here. My wife is an EU citizen from Eastern Europe and every time she wanders along the street, she wonders ‘Did you want to throw me out of your country?’ The fact of the matter is that this country has rejected Europe and Europeans with the main motivation being the wave of East European immigration.
How do you expect people like her to feel? Although I am a British citizen, I feel rejected too since it is my family, my wife, my children who are under attack. The result is not just a setback for Britain, it is a horrifying disaster and represents a leap back into Victorian times. I don’t think Britons who don’t have the experience of living in Eastern Europe or have European family members can possibly understand the implications it will have on community relations – the whole idea of even holding the referendum is evidence that Britain, even cosmopolitan Britain like the Cambridge area, really hasn’t any real international understanding. It is dramatic to me that no-one from the village has offered commiserations and understanding in person except for other EU citizens who talk incessantly about whether it is safe to stay here. It is accepted as normal, even emphasised when the new Prime Minister states that EU citizens’ rights to stay here are not guaranteed, while it should be rejected out loud, shouting to the rooftops, by all of us. Why are there not protests in the streets? Why are you not standing up to reject the nihilism of Brexit?
Martin: what can I say? The point of our post was to make it clear that we are a community which is not unwelcoming of people with non-UK passports. We have many such people here who contribute to and enrich our community. We are delighted by their presence.
For what it’s worth I understand that the vote in Histon was 70% remain. I would not expect the number in Impington to be much different.