Ukip councillor's comments on homeless sparks protest in Portsmouth

Cllr Colin Galloway has been condemned by city leaders after calling homeless people ‘unwelcome detritus’ earlier this week.

He made the comments in a motion due to be debated at the next full council meeting Portsmouth City Council on Tuesday.

Now, members of Portsmouth’s branch of Unite the Community will be staging a protest ahead of tje meeting.

Dozens of activists are set to rally at Portsmouth’s Guildhall, in Guildhall Square, from 1pm on Tuesday.

Alan Burgess, of the group – which is part of the Unite union – said the statements made by the Paulsgrove councillor needed to be opposed.

He said: ‘Using terms like “detritus” is very dangerous.

‘It’s a dehumanising term and individuals in Portsmouth, who may become emboldened by this, may take out some aggression on people who are homeless and have complex needs.

‘They just don’t need the aggravation stirred up by this irresponsible councillor’s comments.’

As previously reported, Cllr Galloway claimed the public may have misinterpreted him.

He said ‘Homeless people should not be homeless. It is as simple as that.

‘To clarify, I would like to see all of our rough sleepers rounded up and taken to a centre, where each of them has their needs specifically evaluated.

‘From there, we can work out where is best for them to go afterwards – either for housing, or rehabilitation due to substance addiction.’

He said his comments about ‘unwelcome detritus’ still stood.