London district holds ‘friendship festival’ to welcome Hong Kong BN(O) immigrants, soothe local worries over influx
- Volunteers rolling out red carpet for new arrivals hope to avoid backlash from local residents
- Large number of new immigrants can spark tension over competition for schools, jobs, experts say
There was Cantonese in the air, a stall selling Hong Kong-style milk tea, and a “Lennon wall” of brightly coloured notes filled with protest slogans and messages that said: “UK welcomes Hongkongers”.
The event last Saturday was held to welcome newcomers from Hong Kong to the London borough of Sutton, with local officials and a member of parliament among the hundreds who turned up.
Since 16 Hong Kong families moved into a block of flats in the area last December, hundreds more have arrived, especially young families. Sutton has proved attractive for its good public schools and being only 30 minutes by train to Central London.
Organisers of last weekend’s event say it was the first of more to come, with another planned in Manchester, which has also been popular with Hong Kong arrivals.
