Less than a week after images emerged showing newly arrived migrants smoking and chatting in the grounds of the Highfield House asylum hotel, the site is now surrounded by towering screens and reinforced fencing. The car park, previously open to the public, has been closed off entirely a move that will affect local business owners negatively who rely on families travelling by cars.
The sudden security upgrades have stirred concern among residents, who say the measures only add to the sense of secrecy and division around the site. “It’s like they don’t want anyone to see what’s going on,” said one.
The heightened security comes as national debate over immigration and government transparency reaches a fever pitch, especially following Elon Musk’s headline-grabbing appearance at Saturday’s Unite the Kingdom rally. Appearing alongside host Tommy Robinson, Musk launched a fierce attack on both the government and the BBC, accusing them of betraying the public.
“This is a government against the people and not for the people,” Musk declared, urging leaders to “protect Britain” and its most vulnerable. “The government needs to be responsible to the people of Britain. It needs to protect the weak, those who cannot protect themselves, especially the children.”
Musk didn’t spare the BBC, saying, “You’re forced to pay for your own destruction. It’s insane. It’s unfair. It is wrong.” The Tesla billionaire went on to defend his £36 billion purchase of X (formerly Twitter), arguing, “You can’t get to the truth of things without freedom of speech, without active debate. So many on the left want to just crush debate and put people in prison just for speaking. Democracy should be government for the people, by the people.”
He warned that censorship would only intensify unless checked by a change in government: “The government may use whatever powers are available to suppress the people, so I really think there’s got to be a change of government in Britain. We don’t have another four years to wait. Something’s got to be done.”
Musk also revived his criticism of what he calls the “woke mind virus,” saying, “We should make our decisions based on merit. If somebody is talented and hardworking, that should be the only means of advancement. A lot of the woke stuff is actually super racist, super sexist, and often anti-religion — but only anti-Christian. Why only anti-Christian? That’s unfair.”
On immigration, Musk accused the left of “importing voters” as a political strategy: “If they can’t convince their nation to vote for them, they’re going to import people from other nations. And frankly, it’s a strategy that will succeed if it is not stopped.”
He warned that giving voting rights to non-citizens would “deprive the citizens of their democratic power,” describing it as “really a voter importation thing.” Addressing what he called the “reasonable centre,” Musk issued a stark warning: “If this continues, violence is going to come to you. You will have no choice. Whether you choose violence or not, violence is coming to you. Either fight back, or you die.”
“If you want to know what’s coming to your town or village, just visit London. It doesn’t feel like Britain at all. It’s only a matter of time before that happens everywhere,” he added.
Despite his dire predictions, Musk closed with a note of optimism, describing a future Britain “capable of amazing things” if bureaucracy and censorship are dismantled. “If the people of Britain take charge and ensure there’s a government that represents their interests and not foreign interests, then Britain has a great future,” he said. “With the right freedoms, we can have an incredibly exciting future — one which is sort of Star Trek made real. Spaceships, robots, incredible technologies. But such a future is not inevitable. We have to fight for it.”
For now, in Southampton, the screens around Highfield House stand as a physical reminder of the fierce and unresolved debate over who gets to decide the nation’s future — and who is allowed to watch.
Photos last week showed newly arrived undocumented migrants smoking and chatting:
