Dear Sara Britcliffe,

We wish to express our dismay at your inaction and lack of compassion following your Facebook post on Friday 29th January.  By publishing Priti Patel’s comments without further context on the situation at Napier barracks you have ignited divisions in our community – you have also failed to condemn racially motivated comments on your Facebook page.

For context, at any one time there are 400 asylum seekers placed in Napier Barracks. The barracks has been branded ‘in humane’ and the accommodation ‘unsanitary’ by politicians, church leaders, and activists.

The recent issues were caused by a large-scale outbreak of COVID19 were 120 people tested positive.

Where is your compassion? These people are scared; they have risked so much to escape persecution in their home countries to be caged like animals.  We don’t treat our prisoners like this so why are we treating asylum seekers worse than criminals.

Would you feel the same if our countrymen were treated like this abroad?

We want to highlight that your post incited many comments that are offensive to many of your constituents and you have failed to delete these comments or condemn them.

Your actions were both irresponsible and not befitting of the role you occupy.

We ask that you remove these comments from your social media platforms.

We look forward to hearing from you in due course.

Yours Faithfully,

Signed:

Hyndburn Young Labour

County Cllr Munsif Dad BEM JP

County Cllr Bernard Dawson MBE

Cllr Mohammed Ayub

Cllr Noordad Aziz

Cllr Jean Battle MBE

Cllr Steve Button

Cllr Andy Clegg

Cllr Stewart Eaves

Cllr Diane Fielding

Cllr Melissa Fisher

Cllr Glen Harrison

Cllr Abdul Khan

Cllr Chris Knight

Cllr Dave Parkins

Cllr Tim O’Kane

Cllr Kate Walsh

Jodi Clements Candidate

Caroline Montague Candidate

Clare Pritchard Candidate

Michael Hindley Candidate

Kimberley Whitehead Candidate