More than 100 protestors turned up to the demo, which was one of 20 held nationwide to protest the use of hotels for asylum seekers and immigrants, bearing placards, signs and Union Jacks.
But Matt Simmons – a ten-year RAF veteran who now co-directs refugee charity Bridge to Unity – says he ‘can’t stay silent’ any longer. Speaking to friends, family, followers and potential demonstrators in the hours before the protest, he issued an urgent call for compassion.
"Through the charity I founded in Hampshire, I’ve worked with people who came here through government schemes — including those who worked alongside British forces in Afghanistan (I served in the RAF there) — and, since 2022, Ukrainians who fled war. I’ve delivered medical supplies to frontline units and to maternity hospitals bombed at the start of the invasion — and just last weekend, I travelled to Ukraine with a small team to continue that work,” he wrote on Facebook.
"I’ve also been supporting people at this hotel. It’s mostly families and single women. When I sit with them, I ask the same question: “What was life like in your country, and why the UK?” The answer, almost every time: ‘Because I want a safe future for my children.’ We cannot take that away from anyone.”
Bridge to Unity is one of several refugee charities with a history in the area, with groups like Sanctuary also supporting asylum seekers at the Park Hotel.
Mr Simmons makes clear that support is both vital and well deserved – one of the main reasons immigrants are able to build new lives for themselves.
“Many of these people ARE professionals — teachers, engineers, healthcare workers,” he said.
“Those allowed to work are already preparing for jobs with our help. Those not allowed to work (because of government rules, not choice) are still giving back: volunteering with Stonepillow, UK Harvest, Chichester Development Trust, and more.
"These are people. People who’ve lost homes, family, safety. People who want to contribute. People who dream only of giving their children the one thing we all take for granted: a safe tomorrow."
Even so, Mr Simmons said he understands why protestors might be angry – but made clear that it’s ‘policies, not people’ that are to blame: ”Too often, people see others getting help they themselves have been denied. But the answer isn’t to make support exclusive,” he said. “Veterans need it, yes – but so do struggling families, carers, and those fleeing war.
"The problem isn’t that one group gets help. It’s that our systems don’t provide enough for everyone who needs it. That’s where our energy should go – fixing the policies, not fighting the people.”
Speaking out about the protest in this week’s column, Chichester MP Jessica Brown Fuller had plenty to add.
"The conversation around immigration is certainly one that we should be having as a country, and I know there are legitimate concerns around the use of hotels to house asylum seekers, about the huge increase in boats crossing the Channel over the last five years, and about our immigration policies as a whole,” she wrote. “Having sensible, informed conversations about these topics is important, and we shouldn’t shy away from them, even when the debate has become toxic and divided by the rise of far-right political parties.
“What should not be up for debate, however, is whether those who are here in the UK deserve to be treated with compassion and respect, because we should afford that courtesy to everybody.”