Police clashed with rival protesters across the UK as anti-asylum hotel demonstrations erupted into violence, with arrests in multiple cities and towns
Britain witnessed a grim spectacle on Saturday as demonstrations against hotels housing asylum seekers spiralled into violence across multiple cities. From Bristol to Liverpool, Horley to Perth, chants, flags and fury filled the air, leaving a trail of arrests, injuries and rising political tension.
The movement, marching under the banner “Abolish Asylum System,” staged coordinated protests in England, Scotland and Wales. Towns and cities such as Exeter, Tamworth, Cannock, Nuneaton, Wakefield, Newcastle upon Tyne, Canary Wharf, Aberdeen and Mold all became flashpoints. The sheer spread of demonstrations revealed how volatile the debate around asylum housing has become.
Opposition to the far-right gatherings came in force. Counter-protests led by Stand Up to Racism drew hundreds determined to block what they described as “hate in the streets.” In Bristol, rival groups clashed in Castle Park as mounted police tried desperately to keep the lines from collapsing. Tempers flared, bodies surged and officers resorted to scuffles to maintain control. By evening, Avon and Somerset Police had imposed a dispersal zone giving officers wide-ranging powers until Sunday morning. A 37-year-old woman was arrested for assaulting an emergency worker, while the streets bore the scars of a city unsettled.
Liverpool was no calmer. Eleven people were arrested for offences including assault, affray and drunken disorder as a UK Independence Party rally collided with counter-protesters. In Horley, Surrey, a mob of around 200 anti-immigration demonstrators draped in St George and Union flags faced off with only 50 anti-racist activists. Their chants of “refugees are welcome here” were drowned out by abuse hurled through megaphones: “You’re all scum and you should be ashamed,” bellowed one agitator. The verbal barrage teetered on the edge of all-out violence until police stepped in.
Further north, in Perth, Scotland, crowds gathered outside the Radisson Blu hotel. While the Abolish Asylum System supporters hoped to dominate, they were outnumbered by Perth Against Racism and Stand Up to Racism Scotland, who later declared “victory” after more than 200 residents turned out in opposition. Newcastle too saw police lines straining as they separated furious protesters on either side of the divide.
The unrest comes against the backdrop of ongoing legal battles over asylum housing. Only days earlier, the high court handed Epping Forest District Council a temporary injunction forcing asylum seekers to leave the Bell Hotel in Essex by 12 September. That case followed weeks of angry demonstrations after one asylum seeker was charged with attempting to kiss a 14-year-old girl, an allegation he denies. The government now plans to appeal both the court’s refusal to allow its intervention and the injunction itself, fuelling speculation that other councils could attempt similar legal manoeuvres.
These protests, fuelled by rage and resentment, lay bare a nation bitterly divided. For some, the hotels symbolise compassion and safety for desperate people fleeing war and persecution. For others, they are seen as unwelcome symbols of a system they claim fails Britain. The shouting matches, flying fists and police horses on Britain’s streets show that this debate is no longer confined to politics—it is being fought face to face in town squares, outside hotels and under the shadow of riot shields.
As the night fell, dispersal zones stayed in place, banners lay discarded on pavements and sirens echoed in the distance. Yet beneath the chaos, the battle over asylum housing in Britain is far from settled. With more councils considering court action and protests growing in scale, the next clash feels not like a question of if—but when