Chagos Islanders supported by community group

Chagos Islanders are staying at a leisure centre in Crawley after arriving at Gatwick

A community group in Crawley is offering its support to Chagos Islanders currently staying at a leisure centre in the town.

Crawley Borough Council said a "significant number" of people had arrived from Mauritius at Gatwick Airport over the last few days.

The government launched a British citizenship route for people of Chagossian descent in November 2022.

Everyone Active, which runs K2 Crawley, told customers it was working with the council to "minimise impact and disruption" to operations.

The situation has attracted criticism, including from anti-immigration activists on social media.

Dan Armstrong, who runs the Spotted Crawley Facebook group, told BBC Radio Sussex it had tried to counter what he described as "a lack of understanding" from some quarters.

"There was a bit of backlash, we've done our best to... try and portray their story, portray their history, encourage people to simply go onto Google... read the history," he said.

"My hope is that people start voicing their concerns to the right people."

Supportive posts on the page have gained hundreds of likes, including one saying the community group would "be doing a small collection of essentials" for those staying at K2.

One member of the group commented that they "welcomed" Chagossians and wished they "could make things better for them".

Another pointed out that while their "heart goes out" to those staying in the leisure centre, "the South East is so short of affordable housing".

"I guess the fact they’ve housed these people in a sports centre is evidence of this."

The UK government granted British passports to Chagossians to recognise the role Britain played in expelling islanders in the 1960s and 1970s in order for a US military base to be built.

At the time, most of the population of the islands was sent to Mauritius.

'Patience and understanding'

Mary Douce, one of the people staying in the leisure centre, told the BBC on Wednesday that the group had travelled to the UK after receiving their passports.

A council spokesperson previously said it set up a rest centre in line with its statutory housing duties, after assessing some of the group as not qualifying for emergency accommodation but with "nowhere else to go".

It is understood that families with children have been accommodated in hotels.

But the spokesperson described the situation as "a challenge" due to housing pressures in the town.

The government said its guidance to Chagossian British citizens moving to the UK sets out that they should make their own accommodation arrangements before travelling.

It added that it was working with councils to help them manage new arrivals.

Everyone Active contract manager Jon Hodgson added: "We appreciate the community's patience and understanding."