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Saturday, August 15, 2026
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Home Columnists These People Have Been Through Hell

These People Have Been Through Hell

By
Tara Fisher
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108
1723
Image courtesy of LDRS
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I wish to state right from the beginning that this article is entirely my opinion and I personally stand by every word.

Lee Waters said this in an interview about this problem that we are facing:

“We are a welcoming community and want to play our part in providing sanctuary to deeply vulnerable people who have undergone significant trauma. But this model of accommodating large numbers of asylum seekers in one concentrated site is not sensible. We will do our best to make it work but this is the wrong way to go about it.”

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We support asylum seekers in Carmarthenshire and have already welcomed many here and when you walk around Llanelli you see a diverse range of people living and working there. For me, that is a massive compliment to the people of Llanelli.

I agree that this government in Westminster has behaved appallingly. This is not the way to bring refugees into our community. It is Westminster to blame and Suella Braverman, our awful Home Secretary.

However, the neo-nazi group Patriotic Alternative coming to our town to hold up banners saying Wales is for the Welsh is completely unacceptable.

 To shout abuse at people who are showing their support for the refugees is not acceptable.

To continuously film the Llanelli locals who are standing up for refugees while other aggressive people are yelling abuse at them is unacceptable.

Carmarthenshire County Council feels and believes it is a welcoming county. If that is the case then it needs to do its part to stop the abuse by right wing demonstrators in front of the hotel. Huge boulders have been placed there nearly blocking the whole entrance. How has that been allowed?

Whether we feel pro or anti the refugees arriving here, they do not deserve the unpleasantness that they may receive when they arrive. These people have been through hell on their perilous journey to get to safety from war or persecution. They do not need aggression and hatred facing them when they get here. Of course, the dispersal model, not the hotel model, is the one that works. We know that there are many Llanelli people who are against putting them all in one hotel but still welcome them here. They are not anti- asylum seekers themselves.

Many years ago Britain had  a reputation for tolerance but NO MORE. The world sees us for what we have become with the help of that appalling Brexit. Other European countries have taken MANY more refugees than we have. It is just that the government and media pretend that we are being swamped with asylum seekers. WE ARE NOT. There are more asylum seekers stuck in the backlog of processing claims, which is why more need to be housed, but that is deliberate government policy. If they were processed in a reasonable time-frame the need to use accommodation like hotels would disappear.

The reason why refugees want to come here is not because we are the best country in the world because we are not. The problem started way back under the disgusting British Empire because we went all over the world stealing from other countries and running the slave trade. So the main language became English. All these years later, the refugees mostly speak English so they see our country as the only place to go. As the saying goes, WE ARE HERE BECAUSE YOU WERE THERE.

We have to take some responsibility for the damage we have caused as a country. We also have to become less ignorant and find out the true facts without pointing the finger at people who do not deserve it.

Many Llanelli people wish to take a stand against people who shout hatred against those who are vulnerable. They are running away from countries where their lives are in peril. They desperately need to escape to a country that will give them security. They hope that Britain will give them that. There are many people in Britain who have given support and councils have provided housing and aid. It is not enough!

When I stand in support of the refugees, I see signs which say, “don’t let Llanelli die” and “Our homeless first”.

In many cases refugees become model citizens. They set up businesses and revive town centres. Being Anglo-Indian myself  and in my late seventies I have seen how Indian families lived on dall and rice to work for their businesses. They made a real effort to contribute to the community and to survive. They are to be commended and thanked for what they do.

Our homeless people  are important and should be fought for. Of course we should not have our own living on the streets here. Councils need to do something about this. However this does not stop us from showing compassion to those in trouble.

It is HOPE, NOT HATE that is vital here. We all need a little hope to carry on with our lives, but hate and threats are not the way forward.

In a static demo in residential areas , I have not shouted out loudly and caused noise stress to residents. I have just stood there silently as the far right have been yelling abuse at me.

As we call out on our marches through cities:

SAY IT LOUD, SAY IT CLEAR, REFUGEES ARE WELCOME HERE.

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Tara Fisher
Tara Fisher
Tara Fisher moved to Llanelli in February 2017. She absolutely loves the area and would not live anywhere else. She worked in Secondary, Further and Higher education as a teacher and lecturer and the BBC. Tara has always been active in the voluntary sector.

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108 COMMENTS

  1. You don’t speak for the vast majority of llanelli.and Lee waters has failed to stand with his constituents with genuine concerns,he blocks them

  2. They didn’t ask to be placed here, imagine being in a strange place feeling hated by people who don’t know you. It makes me feel sick when I drive past the rocks and what that stands for. Whatever you believe about government priorities, these people don’t make them. They’re as much a victim of them as everyone else.

    • Majority are not genuine refugees but economic migrants who have passed through several SAFE countries
      Llanelli cannot support local residents who have and are waiting 3 years for medical procedures, mental health assessments and people sofa surfing or sleeping rough as they dont have enough points!
      What happened to charity begins at home?

    • Gareth James a welcoming community with homeless people that most of the community probably walk past with disgust but the council wouldn’t put them first. The writer of the article is one sided

    • Gareth James I remember working in Birmingham and next morning I bought coffee for 4 homeless people to be told by the police to not buy them one and they didn’t want them in the area how uncaring of then so I bought them food too and sat with them to hear their stories none were drug/alcohol related one ed military and one had been raped and fled home, social services let her down, our system is broken we do not care about the forgotten people

    • Tracy Francesca Davies 100 staff laid off so these so called Refugees can live in luxury at our expense. They entered the country illegally and therefore have broken the law. They should be locked up until their identity and reasons for being here are proven and not allowed to wander around our town getting up to allsorts. Our infrastructure just isn’t equipped for all the extra requirements.

    • Tracy Francesca Davies Their not victims they have paid people traffickers huge sums of money to come to the land of milk and honey their in for a shock

    • Tracy Francesca Davies when did France become so dangerous will it be safe to drive through to Spain?

    • Dai Rees we will be though, if we take in all of the third world we will become a third world country and our children will pay the price for this.

    • Steffan Thomas I do wonder if she actually interviewed the source like the actual refugees and residents or just looked at social media.

    • Gareth Beer You’re right. Pretty much my point. It’s quite a sensitive subject, whichever side you agree with. Speculation and opinion are worthless, and in some cases inflammatory and dangerous. Anybody can spout opinion. Much like I’m doing here really. 🤣🤣

    • Steffan Thomas good luck finding those, it’s usually the very few impartial news services that provide completely facts (hint, BBC, Sky, any mainstream news are mostly rooted in opinion)

  6. Ask every one of them stood there if they would take in a family to help out.. bet we know the answer.. fools.. 🤬

    • Lee Thorley to be fair I think a few will, but the majority use the same excuse they don’t have room, they’re renting, not in their home, not to be homed close to their street- everyhwere else but here! But if you also told them, they’re unchecked for criminal records, unvetted, but will be once their application for asylum is completed. Then you’ll hear even more excuses.

  8. The UK has a long history of accepting refugees and would be happy to carry on helping them. Just look at the response to the Ukrainian crisis. However, we all know the majority of these current migrants are not fleeing war or persecution but looking for a better life. No problem with that if they do it through the right channels – which is not the English channel. But it seems the government is unable to stop the them arriving in small boats and is desperately searching for short-term solutions. The cost to the UK is huge and unsustainable but, until we manage to control our borders, this influx will continue. This is a Europe-wide problem but other countries, especially France, are happy to dump the problem on the UK. If anyone has a workable solution contact No10. I am sure the PM would love to hear from you!!

  9. They’ve endured unimaginable hardships and faced unimaginable challenges. It’s disheartening to see how widespread xenophobia is within our communities. We must strive for unity, empathy, and understanding, and stand against racism in all its forms. Every person deserves dignity, respect, and a chance to rebuild their lives. It saddens me how indocrinated and heartless society has become.
    These people welcomed our children and vulnerable during World War 1 and 2 and now that our country have a front line involvement in destroying these countries you don’t have the same compassion? Shame on you all!

    • Emyr Evans humanity is doomed. Vaccines.. Processed foods.. Pharmaceuticals.. Media and government lies have absolutely ruined the whole meaning of being a human being. Flocks of zombies everywhere.

    • Simone Emma Carter shame on you for forgetting British homeless..there you go Branding people.. this has nothing to do with racism 🙄

    • Simone Emma Carter sorry I must of missed the mass evacuation of women & children during both World Wars to Albania and the African Continent.
      But you make a valid point if people are fleeing war then the demography is women, children & elderly as we have seen & welcomed from Ukraine…very doubtful this will be the demography of the new residents at Stradey Park.

    • John Thomas and actually I don’t forget it at all.. I volunteer in the community and help our people who need it too.. I don’t agree with homelessness and genocide anywhere!

    • Emyr Evans the exact same thing Labour, Plaid are doing absolutely nothing,but doing everything for economic migrants

    • Simone Emma Carter you’ve laughed further down at someone saying a homeless service man should come before these people coming here, says it all doesn’t it? Why do you think it’s acceptable to leave people that have fought to keep people safe putting there life’s on the line homeless?

    • Emyr Evans What are plaid doing about the homeless bloody nothing once these people have there asylum claim processed its up to CCC which is plaid/labour run to house them in the Carmarthenshire while there are 8,000 people on the CCC housing register these people will jump the cue without even being on the housing register leaving the other 8,000 homeless or in desperate circumstances so what is plaid doing about the homeless?

    • Ceri Davies yes I did.. Those service men thought nothing of invading other countries and killing innocent people based on lies.. Left countries in ruins and children without parents.. Even slaughtering children in the name of so called freedom.

    • Simone Emma Carter all of them? And everyone else who’s paid into the system is OK to be left homeless, you’ve laughed at other things, out ot the 100 people that have lost there jobs, will they be OK to be left homeless when they can’t pay there rent? How is that OK, absolutely awefull and non of these economic immigrants have been through unimaginable hardships, but people are dying of cold in this country, kids starving and dying in unfit accommodation. So how about some empathy for them.

    • Ceri Davies again.. Blame the government. You’re all so blind to the fact that the government cause all these problems.. But all you want to do is sit behind your screens and blame people in desperate need. Disgraceful.. The lot of you.

    • Simone Emma Carter really? We don’t blame the people coming here but infact obviously blame the government 🙄 and again these men are not in need and insult me to take away from your appalling laughter at bristish homeless people, when you need help don’t moan when you don’t get any, and as you’ve laughed I’m sure karma will get you.

    • Ceri Davies are you really that blind to the fact that our government are to blame for the not only the homelessness in this country and other countries. And I’m not laughing at homelessness I’m laughing at the fact hat you people can not see that I’d caused by your leaders.. Not mine because I don’t vote. You’re all part of a divide and conquer agenda and you are all playing into it. Every human has a right to be safe. I bet you’d stick your son on a dingy in a heartbeat if this country was attacked. I have no more time for heartless humans!

    • Ceri Davies are you really that blind to the fact that our government are to blame for the not only the homelessness in this country and other countries. And I’m not laughing at homelessness I’m laughing at the fact hat you people can not see that Its caused by your leaders.. Not mine because I don’t vote. You’re all part of a divide and conquer agenda and you are all playing into it. Every human has a right to be safe. I bet you’d stick your son on a dingy in a heartbeat if this country was attacked. I have no more time for heartless humans!

    • Meg McDuff so you welcomed Ukraine because they are white and the TV told you to I’m guessing. And these refugees are coming from Syria.. Afghanistan.. Iraq etc.. The very countries we have raped for over 20 years. Your ignorance is pathetic!

    • Simone Emma Carter brainless much, wow don’t try and insult me because your horrible person who likes to see people suffer, now jog on and wait for karma 🖕

    • Simone Emma Carter I quite agree Tony Blair and George W Bush totally destabilised those countries and have led to world chaos and mass migration some of which is due to war and genuine refugee needs. However, Tony Blair is still feted as some kind of wonderful politician. We intetefered in a Country we did not understand with no system of ensuring stability once the West withdrew. The shameful actions in Afghanistan recently prove that nothing has changed.

      Your bigoted attitude assumes that I only welcome white people, you couldn’t be more wrong and arrogant in your assumption. What breaks my heart is that in those 160, 000 waiting for assylum status, are those that genuinely are fleeing tyranny and not just looking to circumnavigate our immigration policies for financial gain. And yes, I don’t care what skin tone they are or what religion or anything else if they have a genuine need they should be supported.

      I think you need to take a long hard look in the mirror at your own prejudices before you start accusing others.

    • Simone Emma Carter BTW could you please enlighten me as to which countries we sent refugees to during the World Wars as you are obviously so less ignorant than me?

    • Simone Emma Carter Can you provide any evidence to support your claim or are just virtual signaling for some sort of recognition?

  10. How many of the people who are for this would be happy to put up these undocumented illegal immigrants in their own homes . Most people are happy to help genuine refugees from actual war-torn places but most of these don’t have any proof of who they are or where they have come from . I truly hope nothing bad happens to anyone local to where these so called war-torn refugees are being placed . I guess only time will tell .

  12. And as for MS Lee Waters Lie bour and Nia Griffith
    Can someone please tell me how well they have represented Llanelli and the benefits reaped upon us all in Llanelli and Wales since since devolution ???
    Anyone ?

  15. You state in your biography that you love Llanelli, I would beg to differ based on your assassination of the local people who are trying to protect the way of life you profess to love.

    What about the rights of the 95 staff now unemployed – I can guarantee they won’t be housed in a 4 star hotel if they become homeless because they can no longer pay the rent or the mortgage.

    If you want a bandwagon to jump on then start fighting for the services that should be in place for the existing community and then maybe we will be in a position to be altruistic to others.

  20. This may sound selfish but we have our own serious problems. Conditions for those on the streets here is just as bad… We didn’t create this war, they have a choice and close sides.. Independence is one thing but when your president is sitting in luxury whilst the citizens are having to be relocated due to a war between governments which is being entirely misreported for the greater good of the Ukraine.. Apparently.. No mention of the drug running and prostitution issues that the Russians have tried to halt

  21. Stop all benefits and free hand outs and then see how many turn up. Remember though if it swims in the English channel then it’s European fish quotas if it sails in the English Channel it’s Britains problem. Strange that!!

  22. I thought this was a ‘community’ paper. If you put vile like this on, why don’t you get the other sides view.

    Btw who’s financing this freebie paper?

  23. Firstly the boulders have been put there by the landowners would you want to live right next to a migrant hostel, same as you won’t take them in to your home in a spare room , and it’s not racist to be concerned about your community, there is a difference between genuine refugees like Ukraine , Hong Kong & Afghanistan than economic migrants from Iraq, Iran , Pakistan, African nations & Albania , all men!! That have different cultures towards women, that have entered the country illegally and that have not been vetted , if anything happens can we hold you personally responsible!!

  24. I will not bother reading this paper again false made up story not the real facts at all the editor needs sacking.

  25. Disgusting story after all these people lost there jobs obviously the person who wrote this story hasn’t got a clue hasn’t spoke to any local residents really annoyed at this very bias from a reporter who needs the sack better still if anyone sees a pile of these papers pick them up and stick them in recycling that’s all its good for

  27. I’m assuming you have a room free for one of these men coming into llanelli because that’s what it will be….People are being realistic of the situation as all over the country there are stories coming out of their worrying behaviour! The fact is these ‘men’ do not respect women and agree to underage marriage….now THAT is the reality of the situation….and that is why people are protesting…

  28. Sarah Holborn I’ve seen other videos of them acting out of order, they verbally abused a photographer aswell, shocking behaviour.

  29. I saw sense in much of this but there needs to be a correction! The British contributed to the slave trade the British did not run it. The people running the slave trade had been running it for many decades before the British and the other nations that expanded it into an Atlantic slave trade. And even when the Atlantic slave trade ended the tribes that ran it continued for a while but at a much lesser rate.

  31. Burry port can’t handle it when a dog shits on a beach with out losing the plot.
    These people have been bombed from their countries. Rasicts the lot of you

    • Rhyanne Louise O’Hara having spoken to the local residents it’s not the fact they don’t support genuine asylum seekers fleeing persecution and war torn countries. It’s the fact that a large number (241) unchecked/unvetted for criminal records/mental health needs/etc , whether they are genuine asylum seekers being placed in one place, resulting in a loss of the hotel, jobs, pressures on our already overstretched public services and the safety of the community.
      You may not be concerned in having such large number of unchecked people arriving into your area but these residents are. They are not racists because they show such concern. That’s not to say there aren’t any of those around either.

    • Michelle Beer a pedophile was released from court with undeniable evidence and not out in prison. The people who already live here aren’t perfect so what difference does it actually make? You don’t even know who’s living next to you. Its nothing to do with the immigrants in the government polices and producers. Blaming immigrants is racist.

    • Rhyanne Louise O’Hara absolutely there are already criminals living everywhere and we can only leave justice to be done there. But we don’t want to be adding more into our community and that’s the concern. Take race out of it, say we knew hundreds of unchecked ‘non migrants’ were moving into the hotel and community we would still be concerned. Race has nothing to do with it. Bearing in mind, more will be moved into our communities, it doesn’t stop there.
      The government has created a mess and the community people now has to deal with it moving forward.
      Again you may not be concerned but it will impact everyone!

    • Michelle Beer But thats literally what happens every single day. It whether you have the privilege of a passport or not. Thats it. Thats the difference.

    • Rhyanne Louise O’Hara yes that’s right everyday we are taking in people who cross into our borders waiting to be processed, checked and vetted whilst living in the community.

    • Rhyanne Louise O’Hara if you could explain further then perhaps i could understand what you are trying to say.

  32. Where did you get the photo above from, you didn’t take nor have you given credit where you had it from. Remove it.

  34. I do greatly empathise with these people, I sincerely do. I can’t imagine how traumatising their experience must have been, and I’m all for supporting them. But this is the wrong way. Our country, our town especially, is on its knees, we do not have the infrastructure or finances to cope with the people already living here, let alone adding hundreds more to the pile. It’s all well and good wanting to help others but it will be at the expense and detriment of the Llanelli people, and it’s understandable that we don’t want that. As selfish as it sounds, charity begins at home ….there is not enough funding to sustain our town as it is, there’s a record number of homeless people, families ….even working people living in poverty, food banks are already struggling to keep up with supply and demand, our hospital is on the brink of collapse, we can’t get gp appointments when needed, hospital waiting lists are at an all time high, ambulances are taking 6 hours to arrive, school places are getting less and less, jobs and livelihoods are being lost to accommodate these people,making poverty increase, jobs are hard to come by in this town meaning they are going to be harder to come by now. Enough is enough sadly. We have to start putting our own country and towns well being first or we are going to pay the price for it and let’s face it ….too many have already.

    So yes, we are generally a welcoming community, who would give their last to help someone out …..but unfortunately, we don’t even have our last to give anymore, the town has already been depleted of everything, so welcoming hundreds more onto an already sinking ship, makes absolutely no sense.

    Don’t be fooled if u think that the stradey park hotel is the only hotel in llanelli that’s been taken over either, more are to come. I suspect one other one has been taken over months ago.

  36. I agree with these comming from a war torn country but some are from Albania there is no war there they come here to milk our benefit eystem Lee Walters you’ve left the people of llanelli down

  38. No one in the localitiy want this to happen. 95 local people have lost their livelihoods. Unfortunately our political elite give the impression that locals matter less than those arriving via dubious means. Lee Waters and Nia Griffiths have done absolutely nothing to help. They are lucky they represent labour in an area that would vote in anyone wearing a labour rosette regardless of how incompetent they are.

  39. Ceri Davies I do believe genuine asylum seekers – those who are genuinely fleeing persecution and war torn countries would have experienced very unpleasant sights. However, many have been very naive and have not seen what’s happening all over the world, and that is a majority of those who are claiming asylum are not genuine asylum seekers and we Welsh and British are being taken for fools. The government has created a mess and the local people and communities are left to deal with it – moving forward. The Stand Up for Racism, do what they are good at – call or assume everyone are racists when anyone speaks of anything which involves someone of a different race (that’s all race, apart from ‘white’). They fail to understand we don’t have an issue with genuine asylum seekers and I don’t understand why this is.

  40. Gareth Beer I totally agree with you, it does baffle me why they are so blind sighted and we either agree to take the world in or we are racist, I know my children’s future will be greatly affected by the actions of immigration in this country, and being concerned about that makes me racist 🙈 I have also said I feel sorry for anyone who actually does encounter racism because of people like stand up for racism throwing it about so much nobody will believe it when it does happen.

  41. We all should be very concerned about some of the comments relating to this article.
    First, it was obviously written by a contributor and so represents the views of the contributor. Not necessarily the views of the newspaper.
    Secondly, many of the comments are attacking the freedom of the press. It is a long standing rule that we do not interfere with a free press unless the contributors want us to be a third world country.
    Thirdly, some question has been raised about the photo above. A newspaper in a free country is under no obligation to reveal its sources. So questions about its origin are out of order. Also a free press is under no obligation to reveal its finances to anyone other than HMRC
    Let’s not turn our country around not something that these asylum seekers are running from

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