Masked men attempt to enter London asylum hotel as angry protests take place across UK after Epping ruling
Angry protests take place across the UK as migrant crisis deepens
- Widespread protests and counter-demonstrations regarding asylum seekers housed in hotels occurred across the UK over the weekend, including in London, Falkirk, Gloucester, Newcastle, and Essex.
- In west London, five people were arrested after masked men attempted to enter a hotel, resulting in two police officers sustaining minor injuries.
- The Home Office and Somani Hotels won a High Court challenge, allowing 138 asylum seekers to continue being housed at the Bell Hotel in Epping, despite Epping Forest District Council's initial injunction.
- Epping Forest District Council is considering taking its legal battle over the Bell Hotel to the Supreme Court, while two men were charged following arrests at protests outside the hotel.
- The government faces increasing pressure to address small boat crossings and end the use of hotels for asylum seekers, with Lord Falconer warning Labour about the political implications of the migrant crisis.