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Police called in after hate group vows to make Cornish town a 'no-go zone' for students

Property and cars damaged as direct action tactics employed to drive academics out

Ginette Davies,John Bett
Monday 26 March 2018 15:36 BST
The group called Falmouth Hates Students say they are targeting student property to damage.
The group called Falmouth Hates Students say they are targeting student property to damage.

Police are patrolling a university after a hate group vowed to make the area a "no-go zone" for students.

Calling itself Falmouth Hates Students, FHS, the group sent the threatening letter to university management and media where they confessed to being behind a hate campaign that included damaging student property and vehicles.

They said their intention was to make the Cornish town, a "no-go zone" for students and a place where parents would never want to send their children.

Claiming the town had become overrun with students, the group blamed them for pricing locals out of the local housing market.

“The Nazis at Falmouth University have had their way for too long, wrecking the lovely town of Falmouth with too many students and overdevelopment and not accepting there own responsibility to house students on-site," the letter reads.

“No-one listens to the good people of Falmouth so now we are taking our own direct action. We have no option but the make Falmouth a no go area for students.

“Since the start of this year Falmouth Hates Students group (FHS) has been damaged student property, like cars, and will continue to escalate this activity to the extent that no families will want to send young ones to Falmouth.

“We are going to make Falmouth a no-go zone for students."

It adds “That will f* the uni, the developers, the t** at Bristol planning and all the c**** at Tremough good and proper. And we can have our lovely town back with just the original few decent students at the paint school in Wood Lane, which was always an aset (sic)”

Those FHS claimed they have been targeting student property since the start of year, causing criminal damage to cars and other items and plan to increase their actions.

In response to the letter, Devon and Cornwall Police have set up regular patrols around the campus in Penryn.

Inspector Ian Thompson from Falmouth police station said he is taking the contents of the letter seriously.

“We’ve increased patrols around the university campus in order to provide some visual reassurance and we’ve also increased patrols in areas of high student population,” he said, adding: “The crime is still actively being investigated and forensic examination of the letter is underway.

“This is still an isolated incident. We are taking the letter seriously and investigating crimes under the Malicious Communications Act, while working closely with the university to provide reassurance and greater visibility throughout the town.

"It is absolutely unacceptable that any section of our community should be threatened or targeted in such a way. Falmouth is recognised as one of the best towns in the UK and the student community contribute to the diversity of the area that makes it so attractive to the wider population."

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