Migrants being housed inside a London hotel have been pictured laughing and filming from the building’s windows as protesters gather on the streets below.
Young men believed to be asylum seekers inside the Thistle City Barbican Hotel in central London waved and blew kisses at protesters.
The Metropolitan Police said the protest against the use of the Islington hotel was organised by local residents under the banner “Thistle Barbican needs to go – locals say no”.
A counter protest, organised by Stand Up To Racism and supported by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, was separated from pro-migrant demonstrators by metal barriers and police.
Protesters chanted and banged drums in the street below while others waved union flags and held banners.
One man chanted in the direction of the hotel: “Get these scum off our streets”.
Police said the anti-asylum hotel protest had been “endorsed by groups from outside the local community which is likely to increase the number of people attending”.
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Migrants were seen laughing and recording the protests
The large group of masked protesters dressed in black, chanted: “We are anti-fascist”.
Some protesters clashed with police, with one man wearing an England football shirt getting arrested following an angry confrontation with officers.
The protests coincide with footage showing a bus-load of migrants moving into the Britannia International Hotel in Canary Wharf, London, in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The migrants, who appeared to all be men, were filmed carrying brown envelopes and dressed in dark colours.
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Migrants were seen blowing kisses and making love heart gestures to counter-protestors
Last month, protests took place outside the four-star hotel, which the Government intends to use as temporary accommodation for asylum seekers, according to Tower Hamlets Council.
A spokesperson for Tower Hamlets Council said: “We are aware of the Government’s decision to use the Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf to provide temporary accommodation for asylum seekers.
“It is important that the Government ensures that there is a full package of support for those staying at the hotel. We are working with the Home Office and partners to make sure that all necessary safety and safeguarding arrangements are in place.”
GB News has approached the Home Office for a comment.
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Police form a barrier in front of ‘stand up to racism’ masked protesters outside the Thistle City Barbican Hotel in central London
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Anti-immigration protesters outside the Thistle City Barbican Hotel in central London
Local mother Lindsey Thompson emerged as a prominent voice during recent protests at the Bell Hotel, exclusively telling GB News that “basic safety” had been thrown out the window.
She said: “When it happens on your doorstep, you feel it. You feel less safe and you see it with your own eyes, you see women not able to walk their dog, not able to walk past the Bell Hotel.”
“That’s the moment you say ‘I can’t sit back and do nothing, I have to do something’.
“Whether that is you joining up and standing out in the rain saying ‘save our kids’ or sharing information … about who’s arriving … this is a really small town, word travels really fast.”
