Inverness Protests Over Asylum Seeker Plans: ‘Send Them Home’ Chanting

(INVERNESS, SCOTLAND) Chants of “Send them home” rang out on Inverness High Street in November 2025 as protesters and counter-demonstrators faced each other over UK government plans to move 300 male asylum seekers into Cameron Barracks, a 150-year-old military site on the edge of the city. The standoff marked one of the most tense days in recent memory for the Highland capital, which until now had no recorded asylum seeker population at all, according to Home Office data.

The government plan and timeline

The confrontation followed ministers’ confirmation that Cameron Barracks in Inverness and the Crowborough training camp in East Sussex would be turned into temporary asylum accommodation for about 900 asylum seekers in total. Both sites were expected to be in use by the end of November 2025.

In Inverness, the plan to move hundreds of men into a single site so quickly set off a wave of concern, anger, and organised opposition, drawing people into the city centre to make their views heard.

Voices on High Street: protesters and counter-demonstrators

On one side of Inverness High Street, protesters opposing the plans repeated the “Send them home” slogan and voiced fears about:

• Local housing and pressure on waiting lists
• Public services, such as GP surgeries and schools
• Community safety and the speed of the decision-making process

Some residents said the decision had been pushed through without proper local consultation and complained about the sudden scale of the move in an area that had no asylum seekers previously. Their anger was directed more at a distant central government than at individual asylum seekers.

Facing them across the pavement, counter-demonstrators and supporters of asylum seekers held signs calling for compassion and calm. They argued:

• Some speakers were spreading false stories about crime and costs
• The chants risked turning people who had fled war or persecution into targets of hate
• Many bystanders seemed unsure what to believe about the plans

Local and national advocacy groups described the mood as tense, with people divided over facts and fears.

Cameron Barracks: site, conditions and concerns

At the centre of the dispute is Cameron Barracks, a 150-year-old military site close to the city centre. The Home Office has identified it as one of several large “contingency” locations intended to reduce the use of hotels for asylum seekers across the UK.

Key timeline and site details:

• Upgrade work was planned to start in January 2026.
• There were fears asylum seekers could arrive within weeks, before major improvements to the ageing buildings.
• Concerns included living conditions, health and safety, and whether the site could meet basic standards through the winter.

Legal and campaigner responses

Lawyers and campaigners warned of possible legal challenges over:

• The state of the facilities
• The rushed timeline
• Potential breaches of duties of care

Analysis by VisaVerge.com noted that similar large-site projects elsewhere in the UK have already prompted court actions about accommodation quality, access to medical care, and the isolating effect on asylum seekers.

Government rationale and official guidance

The Home Office defended using military sites as a temporary measure to manage rising accommodation costs. Officials say:

• Housing asylum seekers in hotels has become very expensive.
• Large, centralised sites are argued to be cheaper and easier to control.

Official guidance on asylum support, including housing, is published on the UK government’s website at https://www.gov.uk/asylum-support. However, campaigners say national documents do little to ease local fears when hundreds of people are due to arrive with little notice.

Local service pressures and practical worries

Some Highland residents worry local services are already stretched. Concerns raised by protesters included:

• Pressure on GP surgeries, schools, and social housing waiting lists
• The sudden arrival of 300 men who cannot yet work and who will rely on state support
• Transport links between the barracks and the city, and how asylum seekers would access everyday services without becoming isolated

Counter-arguments and misinformation concerns

Counter-demonstrators and refugee support groups emphasised:

• Misinformation about asylum seekers’ rights and benefits had spread online and by word of mouth
• Some residents believed asylum seekers were “jumping the queue” or getting more support than local people, despite Home Office rules that:
  • People seeking asylum cannot claim mainstream welfare benefits
  • Asylum seekers usually have no right to work while their case is pending

Activists said that better, earlier communication from central government might have reduced public anger.

Wider national debate and symbolism

The Inverness situation reflects a wider national debate about how the UK handles people seeking protection. Over recent years:

• Ministers have sought ways to cut costs and discourage irregular Channel crossings
• Human rights groups have pushed back, arguing harsh accommodation policies punish people with genuine claims

The use of Cameron Barracks and other former military sites has become symbolic:

• To the government: sensible temporary centres
• To critics: remote, institutional settings that keep asylum seekers out of sight and out of mind

Local identity, change and reactions

For many in Inverness, the issue touches on regional identity and change. Points to note:

• The Home Office’s own data showing no previously recorded asylum seekers in the area underline the abruptness of the change
• Some local voices say the Highlands should share responsibility and offer safety
• Others argue a gradual approach would have allowed time to build support networks instead of moving hundreds into one old barracks quickly

What’s next: demands, legal routes and human impact

As the end-of-November deadline approached, pressure grew on ministers and local leaders to provide clarity. Community groups requested:

• Exact numbers of arrivals
• Length of stay and accommodation plans
• Details of the support on offer
• Safeguards for both residents and new arrivals

Without clearer information, the scenes on Inverness High Street in November 2025 risk becoming a recurring local political flashpoint, not a one-off.

Possible developments:

1. Government adjusts plans in response to local concerns.
2. Legal challenges slow or alter the project.
3. Asylum seekers are moved in as planned, potentially before upgrades are completed.

For the men who may be sent to Cameron Barracks—many likely having fled conflict, persecution, or extreme poverty—the prospect of life in a Highland military base is another unknown in a journey already full of uncertainty. For Inverness, a city unaccustomed to asylum and immigration on its doorstep, the coming months will test how a community with little direct experience of the system responds when policy on paper becomes people in real life.