Demonstrations against hotels housing asylum seekers, organised under the slogan 'Abolish Asylum System', took place in multiple towns and cities across England, Scotland and Wales on Saturday. Counter-protests led by Stand Up to Racism were also held, with police separating rival groups in several locations.
In Bristol, mounted police were deployed in Castle Park to separate the opposing factions, and a dispersal zone was authorised until Sunday morning. A 37-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker, Avon and Somerset Police confirmed. In Liverpool, 11 arrests were made for offences including being drunk and disorderly, assault and affray as a UK Independence party protest clashed with a counter-demonstration.
In Horley, Surrey, about 200 anti-immigration protesters waving St George and union flags confronted roughly 50 anti-racism demonstrators. The latter chanted 'Say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here' and held signs calling for solidarity and an end to deportations. They were met with abuse from the opposing group, including a megaphone announcement branding them 'scum'.
In Perth, Scotland, Abolish Asylum System supporters gathered outside the Radisson Blu hotel, opposed by over 200 counter-protesters from Perth Against Racism and Stand Up to Racism Scotland, who declared victory. Tensions have been high around the use of hotels for asylum seekers, with a recent high court injunction granted to Epping Forest District Council to remove asylum seekers from the Bell hotel in Epping, Essex, from 12 September.
Regular protests had occurred outside that hotel after an asylum seeker was charged with attempting to kiss a 14-year-old girl, a charge he denies. The government announced on Friday it would appeal against the high court's refusal to allow it to intervene in the case and against the temporary injunction. Other local councils have indicated they may seek similar legal injunctions for hotels in their areas.
