LONDON, September 16. /TASS/. Residents of Piddington, a village in England’s Oxfordshire, have voted to leave the United Kingdom in protest against government plans to establish an asylum center near the settlement, The Daily Telegraph reported.
A total of 285 residents voted in favor of leaving the United Kingdom, while 26 voted against. Turnout stood at 92%. The results of the referendum, held on September 15, were announced Wednesday morning. The vote was symbolic and had no legal force.
The UK government earlier announced plans to convert a former military site into an asylum center for people who enter the country illegally by small boats across the English Channel. The facility is expected to accommodate about 1,300 people. The main concern among village residents is that the arrival of new neighbors could lead to an increase in crime.
"This is a message to the government: you will have to change your position and take our views into account," Piddington Parish Council Chairman Tim McNally said. He acknowledged that the referendum was not legally binding but added that Piddington would now consider itself a principality. "We used to be a village called Piddington. Now we are the Principality of Piddington. And we will put up an appropriate sign," he said.
McNally said the campaign had received support from opposition political parties, including the Conservative Party, Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats, and had drawn interest from more than 500 lawmakers at different levels who want to hold similar votes in their towns and villages.
Battle for Britain
One of Piddington’s residents, 76-year-old Herbert Owen, compared the referendum with the Battle of Britain during World War II.
"This is about everything our grandparents and parents fought for, and the fate of the country is being decided today. It’s not just about Piddington, it’s about our whole country. The current government is destabilizing the situation," he said.
The newspaper reported that more than 130 women from Piddington sent letters last week to all female members of the House of Commons, warning that their lives "will be destroyed" if the authorities proceed with plans to open the asylum center. "We will not feel safe walking the streets," the letter said.
The newspaper said Piddington residents are now making plans to install a network of surveillance cameras, an emergency alert system and organize patrols to improve security. Local women also plan to take self-defense classes.
