Five people have been arrested after a group of masked men attempted to enter a hotel in London as anti-asylum protests continued across the country. The incident happened after two anti-asylum groups marched to the Crowne Plaza near Heathrow Airport and a group of masked men attempted to enter the building through the rear entrance, damaging security fences, the Metropolitan Police said.
Both sides engaged in personal abuse and hurling threats and police separated both groups behind barriers. Other protesters moved towards the nearby Novotel on Cherry Lane and a Holiday Inn, while officers enforced cordons in the area to prevent a breach of the peace. Two officers suffered minor injuries and five arrests were made, 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.
Commander 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.”
The protest was one of many across the country, fuelled by the government’s victory in a court challenge on Friday, meaning asylum seekers can continue to be housed at the Bell Hotel in Essex.
In Scotland, angry activists who descended on a hotel housing asylum seekers in Falkirk on Saturday were met by hundreds of counter-protesters.
Essex Police are preparing for a planned protest in Epping on Saturday evening and have put in place a Section 60AA order giving officers the power to order the removal of face coverings and a dispersal order for a 24-hour period.
The court victory by the Home Office and the Bell’s owners Somani Hotels triggered criticism from the Government’s political opponents, while protesters said they would now hold regular demonstrations against the use of hotels to house asylum seekers.
A demonstration outside the Home Office planned by a group calling itself the Great British National Protest failed to materialise when only a handful of people turned up on Saturday.
Two bloggers said they had travelled all the way from Leicester for the protest and were disappointed by the poor turnout.
Epping Forest District Council is set to decide on Monday whether to take its battle over the Bell Hotel to the Supreme Court.
Council leader Chris Whitbread told the BBC: “We’re looking at all the options, including looking to appeal to the Supreme Court.
“The judgment yesterday was just so deeply disappointing that we just need that time over the weekend to review what the judgment actually means, take on board all the legal advice that we’re getting, and then moving forward from there.”
At least 13 other councils are considering pressing ahead with legal action over the use of asylum hotels in their areas, according to The Times.
Among them are several Labour-run authorities, the newspaper said.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch urged Tory councils to pursue such legal action.
“Keir Starmer has shown that he puts the rights of illegal immigrants above the rights of British people who just want to feel safe in their towns and communities,” Mrs Badenoch said.
