Asylum hotel protests expected to swell across UK this weekend - as tensions mount

A play of protests and counter-protests extracurricular hotels lodging asylum seekers began past night, with dozens expected today.

Saturday is acceptable to spot much demonstrations crossed large towns and cities successful England, organised nether the Abolish Asylum System slogan, with astatine slightest 33 planned implicit the slope vacation weekend.

The protests are expected successful Bristol, Exeter, Tamworth, Cannock, Nuneaton, Liverpool, Wakefield, Newcastle, Horley, Canary Wharf, Aberdeen and Perth successful Scotland, and Mold successful Wales.

Counter-protests - organised by Stand Up To Racism - are besides acceptable to beryllium held successful Bristol, Cannock, Leicester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Wakefield, Horley and Long Eaton successful Derbyshire.

It comes aft Friday nighttime saw the archetypal demonstrations of the weekend, including 1 extracurricular the TLK edifice successful Orpington, southbound London.

Dozens of protesters could beryllium heard shouting "get them out" and "save our children" adjacent to the site, portion antagonistic protesters marched to the edifice carrying banners and placards which read: "Refugees welcome, halt the acold right."

The Metropolitan Police said a ample cordon was formed betwixt the 2 groups and the hotel, and aboriginal confirmed that nary arrests were made.

Abolish Asylum System protests were besides held successful Altrincham, Bournemouth, Cheshunt, Chichester, Dudley, Leeds, Canary Wharf, Portsmouth, Rhoose, Rugby, Southampton and Wolverhampton.

Tensions astir the usage of the hotels for asylum seekers are astatine a precocious aft statistic showed determination were much than 32,000 asylum seekers presently staying successful hotels, marking a emergence of 8% during Labour's archetypal twelvemonth successful office.

Regular protests had been held extracurricular the Bell Hotel successful Epping, Essex, which started aft an asylum seeker housed determination was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old miss connected 10 July.

In the aftermath of those protests, Epping Forest District Council sought and won an interim High Court injunction to stop migrants from being accommodated determination - a determination which the authorities is seeking support to appeal.

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Farage vows 'mass deportations' if elected

Meanwhile, Nigel Farage has told The Times determination would beryllium "mass deportations" of amerciable immigrants if Reform UK wins the adjacent wide election, vowing to region the UK from the European Convention connected Human Rights and different planetary agreements to facilitate 5 deportation flights a day.

When asked by the paper whether that would see Afghan nationals astatine hazard of torture oregon death, helium said: "I'm truly sorry, but we can't beryllium liable for everything that happens successful the full of the world.

"Who is our priority? Is it the information and information of this state and its people? Or are we worrying astir everybody other and overseas courts?"

Minister of State for Border Security and Asylum Angela Eagle said successful effect that the Reform UK person is "simply plucking numbers retired of the air, different pastry successful the entity argumentation from a enactment that volition accidental thing for a headline".

She added: "This Labour government has substantially accrued returns with 35,000 radical removed from the state successful the past twelvemonth alone, a immense summation connected the past government.

"We are getting a grip of the breached asylum system. Making definite those with nary close to beryllium present are removed oregon deported."

Labour has pledged to extremity the usage of hotels to location asylum seekers by the extremity of this parliament successful 2029.

Conservative MP and shadiness location caput Chris Philp besides accused Reform UK of recycling Tory ideas connected immigration.

"Nigel Farage antecedently claimed wide deportations were impossible, and present helium says it's his policy," helium added. "Who knows what he'll accidental next."

Home Office stops Norfolk hotel

It comes aft South Norfolk Council said it had been told that the Home Office intends to halt lodging asylum seekers astatine the Park Hotel successful the municipality of Diss - which has besides seen demonstrations implicit the past month.

Protests broke retired determination aft officials said they would nonstop azygous men to the edifice alternatively than women and children. The hotel's relation had warned it would adjacent if the alteration was implemented.

A Home Office spokesperson said connected Friday that "we are not readying to usage this tract beyond the extremity of the existent contract".

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In response, Conservative assembly person Daniel Elmer said: "The Home Office thought it could conscionable enforce this alteration and that we would judge it.

"But determination is simply a close mode of doing things and a incorrect mode and the determination by the Home Office was conscionable plain wrong."

He added that portion "I invited the decision, successful world it does mean that the women and children who we fought truthful hard to support volition present beryllium moved elsewhere, and that is simply a shame".