AN event that aims to dispel myths surrounding asylum seekers will take place this weekend.

Put on by Carlisle Refugee Action Group (CRAG), the event will be taking place at the Quaker Meeting House on Fisher Street in Carlisle this Saturday, November 26, at 10.30am.

This is not the first event of its kind, but it will be the first one since it was announced that people seeking asylum will be located at the Cumbria Park Hotel in Stanwix, Carlisle.

The city's MP John Stevenson has branded the accommodation's location as 'inappropriate' but urged locals to be 'careful' with their language when debating the hugely controversial issue.

The news triggered scores of comments on social media, many of them overtly hostile, while others are more welcoming.

The Home Office said the hotel will accommodate only female asylum seekers.

Meanwhile, the Hilltop Heights Hotel in Carlisle is already being used to house male asylum seekers and other hotels in the county are also being used.

Speakers at the meeting include Rae McGrath, international humanitarian expert, Nobel Peace Prize co-laureate, and patron of Carlisle One World Centre, and James Cartwright, chair of CRAG.

A CRAG spokesperson said: “We've done several of these over the last few years, with all that's going on in the media recently about asylum seekers we were going to put this on anyway, and with all the news about a second hotel and the spotlight on the first hotel in the city, it made sense to do it sooner.

“We've got to outline what countries they come from and some of the reasons they have for leaving their homes, like wars and persecution.

“The vast majority of people seeking asylum are here for valid reasons, and that's why people need to support them.

“We're working closely with local authorities on this, these are very vulnerable people and we just wanted to support them.”

To book your place, get a ticket via this website - shorturl.at/iuIL3.

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