Five people have been arrested at a protest in London where a group of masked men attempted to enter a hotel housing asylum seekers on Saturday. At about noon, two anti-asylum groups marched to the Crowne Plaza in Stockley Road, west London, and a group of men in masks attempted to enter the building through the rear entrance and damaged security fences, the Metropolitan police said.
Other demonstrators moved towards the nearby Novotel on Cherry Lane, in West Drayton, and a Holiday Inn. Officers enforced cordons in the area to prevent a breach of the peace and three arrests were made. Two officers suffered minor injuries and two more arrests were made as officers dispersed the crowd, the force added.
A section 35 dispersal order has been put in place, allowing officers to direct people to leave the area and not return if they suspect they may cause disorder, police said. Cmdr Adam Slonecki, in charge of policing London this weekend, said: “Around 500 protesters were in the area, but most people have now dispersed from the immediate vicinity. However, further arrests will be made if we need to tackle disorder.”
In Essex, police have put in place a section 60AA order giving the force the power to order the removal of face coverings and a dispersal order before a planned protest in Epping on Saturday evening. The section 60AA order will run for 24 hours and the dispersal order, which covers the main high street and the area surrounding the Bell hotel, will be in place until 4am on Sunday.
Glen Pavelin, an assistant chief constable with Essex police, said: “We never take the decision to impose restrictions on members of the public lightly. However, we must guard against the impact of antisocial behaviour on our community and these orders will give us extra powers to deal with that should it become necessary to do so.”
The prime minister, Keir Starmer, wrote on X: “I am clear: we will not reward illegal entry. If you cross the Channel unlawfully, you will be detained and sent back.” In Falkirk, activists who descended on a hotel were met by hundreds of counter-protesters. Two separate demonstrations were called by the Save Our Future and Our Kids Futures group in the town on Saturday over concerns about alleged crimes linked to those housed at the Cladhan hotel.
