British Village Mounts Drastic 'Defection' Over Asylum

Residents of one tiny English village have staged a very 21st-century protest: They just "voted" to leave the UK. In a nonbinding referendum in Piddington, Oxfordshire, 285 of 312 voters backed "independence" to signal anger over a government plan to house up to 1,256 male asylum-seekers at a converted military site in nearby Bicester, reports the Guardian. "We have given an absolute message, not just to the region, not just to the country, but to the world," says Tim McNally, the parish chair, per the AP.

McNally notes that the parish will now be known as the "Principality of Piddington." Campaigners argue the housing location is unsafe and poorly connected, with one parish councillor noting that the nearest footpath is more than a mile away along a dark, busy road, per the Guardian. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the government is trying to reduce the asylum backlog and insisted poorer areas shouldn't bear most of the accommodation burden, while local officials say the vote underscores frustration over a lack of consultation.