Our village is voting to leave Britain & join USA in desperate bid to stop influx of 1,200 migrants – Elon Musk backs us

A VILLAGE is voting to leave Britain and join the USA in a desperate bid to stop asylum seekers from moving in. Some 350 residents of Piddington, Oxfordshire, are vowing to hold an independence referendum and believe Trump is their only hope. Bicester Garrison has been chosen as part Labour’s wider scheme to convert MoD facilities into migrant housing and close asylum hotels Credit: w8media Tim McNally, 60, the man who came up with the idea of Piddington’s independence referendum Credit: w8media There is no current legal mechanism allowing a village to declare independence from the UK. And the unprecedented move could only happen with the agreement of the Government and Parliament. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! But locals say it’s their only option as the Government is planning on housing 1,250 male refugees at a derelict military depot on their doorstep. Bicester Garrison has been chosen as part Labour’s wider scheme to convert MoD facilities into migrant housing and close asylum hotels. The scheme has sparked fury across the UK – with huge protests against the takeover of another army site in Crowborough, East Sussex. Trillionaire Elon Musk has already waded in to support Piddlington’s campaign, posting: “What has happened to towns who did nothing to deserve it, like little Piddington village, will happen to all of Britain unless there is a fundamental policy change.” The Home Office announced plans last month to billet the refugees at the sprawling Bicester Garrison site Credit: w8media Although free to leave the camp and walk into the village or travel to nearby towns, none would be allowed to work Credit: w8media Local parish councillor Joe Marshall, 26, said: “Donald Trump loves old quaint English villages, but he’s not so keen on migrants. So we are sure he would not let this happen to us.” The Home Office announced plans last month to billet the refugees at the sprawling Bicester Garrison site, just yards from the village’s Jubilee Reserve community park. Most read in The Sun All single men from several different countries, they would start arriving in November. Although free to leave the camp and walk into the village or travel to nearby towns, none would be allowed to work. Electrical engineer Mario Terzino, 61, said: “We are particularly angry that there no consultation about this, no advance warning. Instead, we learned about it through the media. “Our independence referendum is a cry to be heard, a warning to the Government that we won’t just sit back and accept this. “This is a tranquil little village of just 350 souls and two thirds of those are women or children. We’re not equipped to have more than 1,000 young men, most of whom won’t speak English, descending on us. “But tiny though Piddington is, we still do have quite a bite. And our voice will be heard. Elon Musk has already taken up our cause, and hopefully Donald Trump will too. Local parish councillor Joe Marshall, 26, said Trump ‘won’t let this happen’ Credit: w8media Ed West said the amount of the migrants moving in is the issue Credit: w8media “We have nothing against the migrants – obviously they have to be housed somewhere. But to move 1,250 single men here, where they will outnumber residents by four to one, is ridiculous. “And that is another question the Government hasn’t answered. Why do they want to move only men here? Why not mixed sexes?” The village is just six miles from the town of Bicester, with its designer outlet shopping centre. The local St Nicholas’s churchyard boasts the grave of the poet John Drinkwater, who would spend holidays there during the 19th century. Many of Piddington’s residents have expressed fears of soaring crime, worried that organised crime gangs would prey on the refugees and use them as “foot soldiers” to peddle drugs or as part of shoplifting rings. Others told of their concern for the safety of their children – especially teenage daughters. One man said: “Everybody knows each other here in Piddington. So people leave their doors unlocked and the windows open. Any stranger acting suspiciously would soon get noticed. “But what’s going to happen when all those bored single men, who don’t know anybody, don’t speak the language and have nothing to do all day, hanging about the place? A protest sign in the village Credit: w8media The sleepy village is fighting the government plans Credit: w8media “This is not being racist or any of that stuff. It’s just being realistic and using common sense.” Parish councillor Mr Marshall, who lives in the village’s former chapel which dates back to 1826, added: “There must be better places to house all these refugees. “One idea might be to billet them in all these boarding schools that have been forced to shut down over the past couple of years after the Government put VAT on their fees. “Those places would have the dormitories, the kitchens and recreational facilities needed to cope with all these men. But we don’t.” Teacher Samantha Phillips, 61, welcomed Musk’s intervention in the row. She said: “It’s important because he is giving us a voice.” Ed West, 42, who runs a property maintenance, added: “Musk has some 236million followers and now every one of them knows about our tiny village in Oxfordshire. “It’s a bit of a backwater here – the most exciting thing every week is when the fish and chip van comes round on a Saturday. And then once a month we have a pop-up pub session in the Village Hall. “But that’s how we like it. We’ve nothing against refugees. But it’s the scale of the thing here. Moving in 1,250 when the village only has 350 inhabitants is out of all proportion.” Local Liberal Democrat MP Calum Miller, who represents Bicester and Woodstock, has also joined the fight, accusing the Government of making “secret decisions” without consulting local authorities or residents. But Parish Council chairman Tim McNally, 60, the man who came up with the idea of Piddington’s independence referendum, believes appealing to President Trump could be their best hope. In a vote held symbolically on July 4, America’s Independence Day, 96 per cent of villagers were in favour of going ahead with the referendum. Likening the battle to that of George Washington against the British Government in the 18th century, Tim explained: “It’s about representation. We have had no input into the proposal. “Washington brought change. I am going to make the change and then give away the power like he did.” He added: “If we vote to leave, we are going to go down to the US Embassy and bring our declaration to them. We want them to support us in our plight.” A Home Office spokesperson told The Sun the concerns of communities were “central to our immigration reforms”. They added: “We are working with local authorities and others to fairly disperse asylum seekers across basic accommodation including ex-military sites. “Three more military sites are being explored to house asylum seekers. We are seeing results. “The population of asylum seekers in hotels has fallen by 35% in the last year and by 63% from the peak under the previous government. “Overall asylum costs have already fallen by £1 billion since this Government was elected.” Comment now