Five people were arrested in west London on Saturday after anti-asylum protests turned tense outside hotels housing migrants.
Police said a group of masked men tried to force their way into the Crowne Plaza in West Drayton, damaging security fencing at a rear entrance. The hotel is currently being used to house asylum seekers.
The attempted break-in followed a march of around 500 protesters from two anti-asylum groups who had gathered outside the hotel just after midday.
Similar scenes played out across the country. In Falkirk, Scotland, hundreds of both pro- and anti-immigration demonstrators faced off outside another hotel housing asylum seekers. Protests and counter-protests also took place in Warrington, Skegness, Gloucester’s Barnwood area, and Portsmouth.
These demonstrations came just a day after the Court of Appeal overturned an injunction that would have blocked the Bell Hotel in Epping from accommodating asylum seekers. Hours after the ruling, two men were charged following protests in the town.
Back in west London, tensions escalated when part of the crowd broke away and moved toward two other hotels nearby—the Novotel on Cherry Lane and a Holiday Inn. Police held cordons to prevent disorder and made three arrests there, with two more later as they dispersed the crowd.
Two officers were left with minor injuries, though protesters did not manage to get inside any of the hotels. A Section 35 dispersal order is now in place, giving officers the power to move people out of the area if they suspect further trouble.
Commander Adam Slonecki, who oversaw policing in London over the weekend, said officers would not hesitate to make more arrests if protests crossed into violence.
“We understand people feel strongly about these issues,” he said, “but when peaceful protest tips into criminality, especially when officers are injured, we have to act.”
According to police, around 500 protesters were in the area, though most have now left. Photo by André Gustavo Stumpf from Brasil, Wikimedia commons.