Asylum lodge protesters met by counter-demonstrators in UK

Protests over using lodges for housing asylum seekers have been held throughout the UK.

Demonstrators gathered in components of England together with Bristol, Liverpool and London, in addition to in Mold in Wales, Perth in Scotland and County Antrim in Northern Ireland.

Police stepped in to maintain opposing teams separated in lots of locations the place anti-racism campaigners mounted counter-demonstrations.

It comes after a High Court ruling this week blocked a lodge in Epping, in Essex, from accommodating asylum seekers and a few native authorities in England mentioned they have been now contemplating authorized challenges.

In Bristol several hundred anti-racism protesters were held apart from different protesters in Castle Park by police in riot gear and on horseback for nearly two hours with some pushing at police traces in an try and get via. They outnumbered dozens of anti-migrant campaigners.

Bristol City Council has mentioned it has no plans to problem the federal government in utilizing lodges to deal with asylum seekers within the metropolis.

In Liverpool more than 400 people turned out for a march referred to as by UKIP calling for migrants to be deported.

They have been opposed by a number of hundred folks from Stand Up To Racism, and the Merseyside Anti-Fascist Network.

Merseyside Police mentioned 11 folks have been arrested for numerous offences together with being drunk and disorderly, assault and affray.

Protests additionally came about in Exeter, Tamworth, Cannock, Nuneaton, Wakefield, Newcastle and Horley in Surrey.

In Scotland about 150 protesters gathered in Perth exterior of the Radisson Blu lodge on the town’s Leonard Street, chanting and holding indicators together with the slogan “get them out”.

Meanwhile greater than 200 folks took half in a counter protest throughout the road, unfurling a banner which learn “no to racism” and “refugees welcome”.

About 300 folks joined a protest in Mold to oppose a possible plan to supply lodging for asylum seekers in flats above a retail unit within the city. They have been met by a counter-protest of about 40 folks carrying banners banners which learn “no to racism” and “asylum seekers welcome”.

In County Antrim, about 40 folks gathered exterior a lodge getting used to deal with asylum seekers. Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council has began an investigation into its authorized planning standing.

Police forces are deploying further officers over the weekend, and utilizing particular powers enabling them to require folks to maneuver away from the world.

Surrey Police made three arrests at a protest exterior the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel – two for breach of the peace and one for breaching the situations of a neighborhood safety discover.

Officers stored a gaggle of roughly 100 folks gathered exterior the lodge, which is used to deal with asylum seekers, separated from round 30 counter-protesters carrying anti-racism indicators.

More protests are deliberate in components of the UK for Sunday.

Saturday’s demonstrations are the newest in a collection of protests which have taken place in latest weeks.

Crowds had gathered to protest exterior the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex final month after an asylum seeker residing within the lodge was arrested and later charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old woman within the city.

The High Court ruling on Tuesday noticed Epping Forest District Council granted a short lived injunction to cease folks being positioned on the lodge. It had argued the lodge had breached native planning controls by altering its use and that in flip had led to occasions that have been a public security danger.

The government is seeking the right to appeal against the ruling.

The UK is legally-bound to search out properties for asylum seekers who would in any other case be destitute whereas they anticipate a choice to be made on their asylum declare.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has mentioned the federal government was dedicated to closing all asylum lodges, however mentioned it wanted to occur in “a properly managed way”.

Figures released by the government on Thursday confirmed that the variety of asylum seekers being housed in lodges had reached 32,059 – an 8% improve within the yr since Labour got here to energy however down on the 2023 peak.