I am referring to Ed Deegidan's article in the Gazette & Herald of August 6, 2015, and I want to thank him for all the points he made.

He is a brave person to speak out for migrants as his article might well attract some hate mail. I am so pleased that slowly more and more people are beginning to remind us that we are not talking about vermin, criminals or scroungers but about human beings who are fleeing war, terror, rape, hunger or poverty. So where are the much-proclaimed 'British values'? What are they???? Where is the compassion and the willingness to help in this so-called Christian' country? It is a dangerous development when hate-filled and derogatory remarks from the tabloid press and politicians become acceptable, when MPs like James Gray can't even get their facts right and therefore resort to prejudice and when announcements such as "England is overrun by migrants" or "this island is slowly sinking" can stand unchallenged.

It reminds me of the mood in Germany in the 1930s and we all know where dehumanisation of an entire group of people led then.

I can only hope that all these narrow-minded, small-hearted and unchristian people will never be in a position where they have to find refuge in another country. What a very sad time we live in.

B Roberts, Stroud.