I am very proud of the way Medway, in Kent, the place I have had the privilege of calling home since the age of 10, has reacted to the plight of refugees. Mark Reckless’s successful campaign to become an MP for Ukip at last year’s Rochester and Strood byelection placed a lot of emphasis on curbing immigration, leading many to see Medway as a place hostile to anyone not born and bred in the UK. However, as a young black person in Chatham, one of the Medway towns, I have found it refreshingly diverse after living in Canterbury and Germany, with my close-knit circle of friends made up of people from a mixture of white, African, Asian and Arab backgrounds.
The reputation Medway has earned over the years is in most cases far from true, and my view is supported by the towns’ reactions to Europe’s refugee crisis. The strength of community in the area is exemplified by Medway Masses Doing Our Bit for the Refugees in Calais, an initiative set up by a group of friends to collect donations. With about 1,350 supporters, including myself, the Medway Masses reached its target of raising £1,000 in less than four days.
Similarly, Medway City of Sanctuary, run by Stephen Goldsbrough, aims to make the Medway towns a safe place for refugees and is working to secure the support of local politicians, faith groups and charities.
Of course, not everybody in Medway agrees. A photo posted on Twitter by Vince Maple, leader of the Labour group on Medway council, featuring him holding a piece of paper with the words “Refugees Welcome”received several hostile comments.
In this respect, Medway is showing itself to be a place like many in the UK, filled with both people who don’t welcome strangers and those who in a real humanitarian crisis are channelling their emotions into real action.
