Two men arrested after 'disturbance' at Penally asylum seeker camp
Two men have been arrested after a "disturbance" at an asylum seeker camp in Pembrokeshire.
A large police presence was seen outside Penally Asylum Accommodation Centre in Penally on Tuesday afternoon.
The former Welsh training camp was chosen by the Ministry of Defence to house around 230 asylum seekers.
A spokeswoman for Dyfed-Powys Police said: "We were called to a disturbance within the Penally Asylum Accommodation Centre at around 1.45pm today on Tuesday, 20 October.
"Two people have been arrested, a 22-year-old man and a 25-year-old man.
"The 22-year-old was arrested on suspicion of affray, and the 25-year-old was arrested on suspicion of assault. No one was taken to hospital. The investigation is ongoing.”
The decision to house asylum seekers at the camp has proved controversial, with dozens of protestors both against and in support of the camp campaigning outside the facility every weekend.
The Home Office said the camp was provided to them by the Ministry of Defence as contingency accommodation for asylum seekers while their claims are being processed.
A spokesperson said an increase in Channel crossings, coupled with the need to adhere to Coronavirus guidelines has led to less accommodation space being available. On Friday, Jane Hutt MS, deputy minister and chief whip, called on the camp to be closed and described it as the "direct opposite" to basic equality and human rights needs.Ms Hutt said: "We can be proud of the way our nation has responded to successive refugee crises, providing a warm welcome and opportunities to integrate with our communities."However, the decision by the Home Office to use the Penally military camp as a centre to house asylum seekers is the direct opposite of the Nation of Sanctuary approach."We believe the use of the camp should end as quickly as possible."