The previous government broke the asylum system, leaving families languishing in hotels instead of being fairly processed. This is the result of political choices – not the fault of people fleeing war and violence.
We understand why many local people feel that Britain is broken – we feel it too. It’s hard to get a doctor’s appointment, our schools are crumbling, and the cost of living keeps rising – energy bills, food prices, rent and mortgages – everything’s going up except our wages.
Our community is not far-right. People here have been let down and have seen their towns neglected. We face a crisis of inequality, where the super-rich take an ever-bigger share of the pie while working families in Cheshunt, Waltham Cross and across Hertfordshire get less and less. That’s got to change.
The families in the Delta Marriott are not to blame for the problems we face. The hotel currently houses mostly women and girls, it’s home to over 100 children. It cannot be right to protest outside their bedroom windows over problems they did not create.
Local people being frustrated with a system that’s let them down does not make them far-right – but this anger is being hijacked by far-right agitators from other areas and opportunist local politicians. They offer division, but no solutions.
It suits the billionaire class, the vested interests and their political mouthpieces for working-class people to fight amongst themselves. This won’t put more money in the pockets of local people, it will just leave us more divided.
We, the undersigned, will continue to engage respectfully with all members of the community who want to make this a better place to live, and reject all attempts to divide us.
Councillor Sean Waters, Labour Party, Waltham Cross
Councillor Selina Norgrove, Labour Party, Waltham Cross
Fr John Cunningham, Parish Priest of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception and
St Joseph, Waltham Cross
Steve O’Donnell, Unite the Union, London & Eastern, Regional Secretary
Onay Kasab, Lead National Officer, Unite the Union
Aisha Malik-Smith, Unite the Union, London & Eastern, Women & Equalities Officer
John Thorpe, ASLEF District Council for East Anglia, Secretary
Nigel Scully, USDAW, Eastern Region, Regional Secretary
Lizzie Newman, Hertfordshire National Education Union, Women’s Officer
Bob Gledhill, Broxbourne Green Party, Chair
Jess Gudgeon, Cheshunt and Waltham Cross Stand Up to Racism
Councillor Lanie Shears, Deputy Labour Group Leader Harlow Council
Anand Pillai, TSSA, Anglia and London North East, Executive Committee Member
Peter Skinner, Unite the Union shop steward Wood Green bus garage & Broxbourne Labour Trade Union Liaison Officer
Raj Patel, Unite the Union shop steward Enfield bus garage O’Neil Lewis shop steward Stamford Hill bus garage
Lorna Ferguson, Cheshunt and Waltham Cross Stand Up to Racism
Father Jake Pass, Parish Priest, Christ Church, Waltham Cross
Stan Brimmer, CWU Retired Branch Officer NHC Branch
To sign the statement, contact Cheshunt & Waltham Cross Stand Up to Racism:
[email protected] • x.com/cheshunt_wxsutr • instagram.com/cheshuntandwxsutr • facebook.com/share/19zAnS9nm6/
