Around 200 anti-immigration protesters and counter-demonstrators from Stand Up to Racism clashed in Horley, Surrey, on Saturday, with police struggling to keep the two groups apart. The confrontation took place on Bonehurst Road, near the Four Points By Sheraton hotel, which is used to house asylum seekers.
Tensions were heightened before the groups met, as anti-racism protesters were heckled by residents while marching through the town. Anti-immigration protesters, many wearing St George's and Union flags, shouted abuse and one yelled through a megaphone: "You're all scum and you should be ashamed," adding that "this wasn't about racism." The anti-racism crowd chanted "refugees are welcome" and "no hate, no fear," which was met with shouts of "no they're not" from the opposing side.
The protest came days after Qais Al-Aswad, 26, a man living at the hotel, was convicted of three counts of sexual assault against three different women at Staines Magistrates' Court. He has been remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced on October 1. One Stand Up to Racism protester said: "Not everyone in a hotel is a rapist, I'm not here to defend rapists, I'm here to defend ordinary people."
During the demonstration, anti-immigration protesters sang songs in support of far-right activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. There were also accusations of "two-tier policing" from those who appeared frustrated by officers' attempts to separate the groups.
Emma Taylor-Beale, protesting with Stand Up to Racism, said she believed the anti-immigration protests were a result of "people buying into lies." She told the PA news agency: "Our migrant community deserve protection, they deserve dignity, they've been through enough." She argued that economic inequality and the housing crisis were at the root of the divide, adding: "People have got a reason to be angry right now."
