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Emma in Epping. Hello Emma in Epping. Hi Sheila, hello
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What's your sense of things from where you've got the vantage point of being in Epping
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Yeah, I have, although I have to say after recent events, I've had a conversation with my husband
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last night where we said, well I said, I don't feel safe here anymore. We've been completely
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invaded by people outside of the area and I'm not talking about the asylum seekers
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I'm talking about the groups that have been coming into our town
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that I love living in or have loved living in. And I feel completely unsafe in my own town
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We've lived here since 2012. I've made a great group of friends
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I have two daughters. They are settled into their schools. We are surrounded by wonderful people
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There are some fantastic people that live here. and last night I actually found myself on the internet
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looking at houses elsewhere because the vitriol, the hatred, the frankly racist things that I am reading
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on our local community Facebook groups and I'm disgusted to say parents' WhatsApp groups
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with the local schools. What are you seeing? Oh people are calling anyone that disagrees with them scum other swear words which I will not repeat They are saying these scum coming into our area
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they're all pedos, they're all this, they're all that. I've never felt unsafe
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In fact, my husband said to me a couple of days ago, I didn't even know there were asylum seekers in the Bell Hotel
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You know, as far as I can see, there has been limited trouble at best
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nothing compared to what we've seen. And now, and I'm not, I came off Twitter X, whatever it is
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I know people who are still on it, and there's now word going around that, you know
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without mentioning names, far right-wing people are now rallying the troops for another rally on Sunday next week
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My friend came home from work the other day on the Tube she had to walk across the high street to get home she had to go through groups of youths with
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masks on carrying canisters and other things and it's just like a war zone absolutely ridiculous
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um she she went walking through um for a piece of common land near the hotel well before the
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protests were due to start and she saw people gathering already again masks on getting ready
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to cause trouble. I've just heard Nigel Farage I think it was on this radio station and I came in just as he was I came in to the past as he was finishing up And what I could hear was you know he said something like
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I'm afraid that we're on the point of civil unrest. Yeah, and do you think he's stoking civil unrest when he says that
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Of course he is. Of course he is. And what's really annoying, and, you know, I will say this, Sheila
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So there was an incident, allegedly, that man has been arrested. You know, it should never have happened, of course
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Well, and it will go through the courts and we will establish what happened. However, I will say this
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Certain elements locally, I honestly believe, are loving it, Sheila. I think this has given them all the excuse they need to start to cause trouble
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be loud on social media about it. Everything we've been saying for years has turned out to be true
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people coming into the area I think are just up for a good fight. I think they love the fact this has happened
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And I'll tell you this as well. I would love to post something on social media
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as a counter-argument to everything I'm reading, but it's too scary. And I think I'm in the silent majority
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where lots of decent people are feeling that this is completely unacceptable
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but are too afraid to say anything because these people are violent
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I believe they're malicious. And nobody wants to be caught in the hospital And to be clear when you say these people are violent militias you are alluding to what Far activists or just racists
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I'm talking about the people coming in. So our social media, I'm not even going to say it
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because I want to attract more attention, there's a local community group for Epping on Facebook
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It's usually, you know, what time's the fake? You know, what time does Tesco's close tonight
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You know, that's interesting. It's been completely hijacked by people who don't live anywhere near Epping
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and it is spouting hatred and vitriol. So, so many people I know have now decided they've got to come off
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I think I'm going to have to come off. I was so anxious last night reading it
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Yeah, I know what you mean. I'm looking to the helicopters overhead, and, you know, being worried about my children
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I cannot believe it. It's absolutely outrageous. listen Emma thank you very much for your call I mean you couldn't have described more perfectly
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what what you as a resident of Epping feel about this and not just feel what you're seeing and
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hearing and experiencing so thank I appreciate the call not just me I'm a silent majority I'm
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convinced of it I really am but people are too afraid to put anything out there or speak about
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it because they're afraid of the reaction and response they're going to get yeah I really and
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And I hope you don't have to leave where you live because you are so stressed by it
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Thank you very much, Emma. Emma in Epping. There's a lot in that, isn't there
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A lot in what Emma has said
