Asylum hotel protests live: More anti-migrant demonstrations planned as UK government promises to overhaul appeals system

Police and protesters clashed on Saturday as demonstrations against asylum hotels unfolded across the country.

Protesters and counterprotesters gathered for demonstrations in towns and cities around England, including Bristol, Exeter, Tamworth, Cannock, Nuneaton, Liverpool, Wakefield, Newcastle, and Horley in Surrey, and at Canary Wharf in central London.

There were also protests at Aberdeen and Perth in Scotland, and Mold in Flintshire, Wales.

Political correspondent Archie Mitchell brings the full report of yesterday’s protests:

Anti-racism activists in Perth, Scotland, yesterday declared “victory” over a group of anti-migrant protesters at a hotel housing asylum seekers.

“Far right, demoralised and now leaving in Perth in face of the anti-racist counter protesters protecting the hotel,” Stand Up To Racism’s Scottish branch said on X.

They accused anti-migrant protesters of having “targeted, harassed and screamed at a mum carrying a baby”.

Anti-migrant protests are set to continue on Sunday, including in London, where hundreds of thousands of Notting Hill Carnival revellers will take to the streets to celebrate its 58th edition.

Protesting under the Abolish Asylum System banner, protests are set to take place in Solihull, Dudley, Epping, Stevenage, London, Manchester, and Norwich.

Here is the full list of protests expected today:

• Castle Bromwich (Solihull) – Holiday Inn – 12pm
• Dudley – Market Place – 12pm
• London – Britannia Canary Wharf – 1pm
• Norwich – The Norkie – 1pm
• Stevenage – Ibis Stevenage Centre – 4pm
• Manchester – South Hotal – 4pm
• Epping – Bell Hotel – 6pm

Police are braced for a weekend of potential unrest as they face a fresh wave of protests amid mounting tensions over the use of hotels to house asylum seekers.

Anti-migrant groups faced off with counterprotesters in Leeds, Orpington, Chichester and Portsmouth on Friday as a weekend of nationwide protests kicked off.

The demonstrations, said to be planned at 26 hotels across the country, come as a million revellers are expected to take to the streets of west London to celebrate Notting Hill Carnival.

Read more here by our crime correspondent Amy-Clare Martin:

Emma Taylor-Beale, who is protesting for Stand Up to Racism in Horley has demanded dignity and protection for migrants in the UK.

“I’ve got a heart for anyone who’s got a need and our migrant community deserve protection, they deserve dignity, they’ve been through enough,” she said.

She said she was not surprised at the number of anti-immigration protesters that had turned out to the demonstration, given what she had seen on social media.

Ms Taylor-Beale said: “This time last year when we had the riots in the summer, all of us showing support were the massive majority in Brighton and in Crawley, and the far-right were there, but they weren’t like the members of the public.

“This isn’t just the far-right, you can’t label everyone on that side who’s come out as far-right, I think people are buying into lies, they’re angry, they’re hurt and people have got a reason to be angry right now.”

She argued that economic inequality and the housing crisis was at the root of the divide.

On Saturday protests against the use of asylum hotels and counter-demonstrations took place – with police trying to keep the two groups apart.

Demonstrations under the Abolish Asylum System slogan were being held in major towns and cities around England, including Bristol, Exeter, Tamworth, Cannock, Nuneaton, Liverpool, Wakefield, Newcastle, Horley in Surrey and Canary Wharf in central London.

Aberdeen and Perth in Scotland and Mold in Flintshire, Wales, were also holding protests.

A separate batch of protests were organised by Stand Up to Racism in Bristol, Cannock, Leicester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Wakefield, Horley and Long Eaton in Derbyshire.

Arrests were made in several locations with 11 protesters in Liverpool being arrested. Three people were arrested in Horley and a 37-year-old woman was arrested in Bristol on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker.

Setting the backdrop for the weekend of unrest is a crucial High Court case being fought between the government and an English council.

On Tuesday, Epping Forest District Council won an interim High Court injunction to stop asylum seekers being housed at The Bell Hotel, arguing it had become a “feeding ground for unrest” in recent weeks after a series of violent protests resulted in multiple arrests and saw police officers injured.

Home secretary Yvette Cooper made a last-minute attempt on Tuesday to halt their removal, arguing that other councils would make similar applications for migrant accommodation in their areas.

However, Mr Justice Eyre dismissed her application and has given the council until 12 September to move asylum seekers out of the hotel. Somani Hotels Limited, which runs the hotel, can apply to the Court of Appeal to try to reverse the decision.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp described the ruling as “a moment of relief for the people of Epping”, while Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said it was “a victory for the mums and dads” in the local area, “who just want their children to be safe”.