Following a weekend of civil unrest in a North Nottinghamshire town, peace has been restored. However, one protester, Tanya, who gained notoriety after being denied entry to a Spoons pub due to her Union Jack dress, says she may never be able to return to her favourite local.
Speaking to Nottinghamshire Live, the Reform supporter shed light on why she supports the emerging right-wing party and the backlash she has faced since appearing in national newspapers.
Tanya and the others we spoke to claimed they were not inherently political and had little interest in specific policies or their potential impact once implemented. Most protesters reporters spoke to expressed their support for Reform, which was unsurprising given the protest took place in the heart of Lee Anderson’s constituency, a leading figure in the political party’s leadership.
Tanya Ostolski, 54, from Sutton-in-Ashfield, spoke openly with Nottinghamshire Live about the demonstration, explaining her reasons for attending, reports Nottinghamshire Live.
She said: “Immigrants being put in five-star hotels while veterans are on the streets. They are creating a strain on the NHS. There’s no doctors’ appointments.
“I’m struggling every day with my spine and I can’t get an appointment, and I just don’t feel safe anymore. I’ve never felt that in my life until recently. There are quite a few (illegal immigrants) here and it’s just scary.
“If they work, and they come here legally, then I have respect for them, the protest wasn’t about them. Where are the women and children fleeing from war? When it’s men of a certain age, I always say that a man fleeing war would bring his wife and children, and a man going to war would come on his own.
“We can’t look after our own, let alone look after more people coming in. I’m not racist in any way. I want to make that clear.”
Demonstrators insisted they’re focused on one objective – transformation – even if it means backing a party that refuses to reveal how it intends to fund its major policies.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies has revealed that Reform seeks to slash taxes at a price of £90 billion whilst boosting public expenditure by £50 billion.
When pressed on Channel 4’s Dispatches about the funding mechanism, Nigel Farage failed to provide definitive responses. Tanya, a local of Sutton-in-Ashfield, felt her exclusion from her favourite Wetherspoon pub due to her attire was linked to the reasons she and many others had taken to the streets in protest on Friday.
She said: “It’s just not very nice. I wasn’t aggressive. I just questioned why I wasn’t allowed in. They just said they can’t be seen supporting the protest. When there was a little bit of aggression. I tried to calm it down. I don’t know whether I’m barred or not yet. I feel too anxious to go and check.
“All my friends go there. I’m not able to go in and socialise with my friends anymore. I’m so upset about it. I felt like a criminal. I felt like a far-right thug. I’m not like that. I feel quite embarrassed about the situation.
“I didn’t think any of this would happen. I’ve had a lot of support from everybody. Nobody said I was in the wrong. What happened after was wrong when they (the protesters) got aggressive with the pub staff. By that point, I’d left, and it had nothing to do with me.
“I didn’t want any of this to happen. I have to stand up for what I believe in, especially given the state of the country at the moment.
“I’m passionate about my country. I’m proud of my country. I’m not happy with all these illegal immigrants, and I mean illegal immigrants, I don’t have a problem with those who come and work here, or women and children. I’m a quarter Polish, my grandad came here after World War Two.
“A lot of people say, ‘Well, you’re not English because of your surname’. But I was born in this country. My grandad fought in the war, and he earned his right to be in the country. I’m not fully English myself. I’m a 100% a big Lee Anderson supporter. Lee has been a very good friend to me.”