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M

DES Morgan (Fears are not racist, October 29) takes affront at accusations of racism.

I do not believe Des is a racist, but I would say his letter is lacking empathy and compassion and is based on a badly informed view of the world.

I make an assumption that Des has never been forced to flee his home due to a threat of violence, never been forced to live in a tent in squalid conditions and has never lost contact with family and friends on a perilous journey that has no clear destination.

I have never been through these experiences either, but the thought of it makes my blood run cold enough to have sympathy for the occupants of the Jungle.

In such a situation I’m sure my mobile phone, my one hope of keeping in contact with my loved ones, would never leave my side.

I would try to keep my appearance as neat as possible to show those whose help I needed that I had not given up and I would probably be willing to lie about my age if I could get to the same country as my family and live in safety.

Martin and Mark Webb make an excellent point about the gutter press. I hope one day people realise The Sun, the Daily Mail, the Daily Express and the Star have no interest in what is best for this country, despite their shallow nationalism.

They publish lies and distortions and present a simple world view based on mistrust, hatred and self-interest that sells papers. You only have to look at the lives of the owners of those newspapers to reveal the huge hypocrisy at the heart of it.

NEIL MERCER

Maidstone Road, Swindon

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Migrant responsibility

MY UNDERSTANDING of the word migrants as used by the media at centres around France is: Illegal wanderers, drifters, nomads and vagrants, who are all hell bent in trying to enter England for a better life.

They are in no way refugees like those in Syria who need all the help the Western World can give them

So perhaps our Foreign Office tell the French the problem is theirs alone and has nothing to do with us.

This was just one of many silly mistakes David Cameron made in his cosy dealings with the EU.

The fact is that these migrants should have claimed citizenship in the first EU country they landed in, as per the EU Schengen Treaty.

IAN HUNT

Hill View Road

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RNLI cash thanks

HIGHWORTH branch of the RNLI would like to thank Highworth Co-operative Society staff and all who supported us on Saturday, October 22. We raised £743.72.

RON ROSE

Publicity Officer