BARRY VAUGHAN, of Townsend Close, West Alvington, writes:

In some updated assistance to your fellow South Hams friends and neighbours, who may wind up tainted by the out-of-date diatribe against the thousands of distressed people at Calais by Mr Bell (from well-heeled Salcombe, would you believe?), then Councillor Green of Totnes or myself need to share a few words to keep the record accurate (Gazette, February 12).

The many thousands of Syrian families are formally of refugee status in that they are fleeing from heavy random air bombardment – from the French at 90 sorties daily via an aircraft carrier; the Russians so many more; this country, England, in its shame, with bombs and drones; as well as Syria’s own ‘government’ with their own barrel bombs let go from helicopters, while slamming away at their cities (what’s left) with artillery for the last five years.

It’s so intensive that to escape open butchery from high explosives the reaction is to get out inside hours.

This is why there are thousands at Calais, seeking the same protection we’ve had by the Channel.

I would say that the former paragraph will explain why they are not free to leave at any time.

This is bound up with the true explanation, that far from turning up their noses at the first or second countries they fled to, those countries were already full up from previous mass movements during their five years’ persecution.

Currently, Turkey is full up; as all other close states of Lebanon have exceeded their capacity to cope, as have Italy and Greece.

Sweden is having trouble with refugees being attacked by residents, as is Germany.

Finland is at capacity now; France is hostile to Syria, as is Iran, which is assisting Assad.

So you see, they end up at Calais – the last but one stop for safety.

It is not difficult to judge who are the real terrorists.

Would wave after wave of Third World war-standards of aircraft roaring in on reheat, reducing homes to rubble daily, fit the bill?