Five arrests in west London anti-asylum protests

On Saturday, the Metropolitan Police say they arrested five people after a group of masked men attempted to enter a hotel in west London housing asylum seekers. According to the Met, the men attempted to reach the Crowne Plaza in West Drayton through a rear entrance and destroyed security fences. Around 12:00 BST, two anti-asylum groups, totaling about 500 people, marched to the Crowne Plaza. New demonstrations against hotels housing asylum seekers, as well as counter-demonstrations, took place in several regions of England and Scotland.

Pro and anti-immigration protesters in Falkirk, Scotland, numbering hundreds of hundred on each side, gathered outside a hotel for asylum seekers. Demonstrations took place in Warrington, Skegness, Barnwoodin Gloucester, and Portsmouth. It came after the Court of Appeal overturned a provisional injunction on Friday, which would have barred the Bell Hotel in Epping from housing asylum seekers. Following a riot in the town just hours after the ruling, two men were arrested. A breakaway demonstrator group in west London on Saturday marched towards the nearby Novotel hotel on Cherry Lane, where police were also stationed, and some of the crowd gathered toward a Holiday Inn nearby. Officers

enforced cordones in the area to prevent a breach of the peace,

according to police, and three arrests were made. As the crowd dispersed the crowd, two more arrests were made. Two officers sustained minor injuries, and protesters were unable to gain entry to any of the hotels. A Section 35 dispersal order has been implemented, allowing officers to order people to leave the area and not return if they suspect they caused chaos.

further arrests will be made if we have to tackle crime,

said Cdr Adam Slonecki, the senior officer in charge of policing London over the weekend.

We know the strength of feeling on these topics, but we will take immediate action if a peaceful protest crosses the line into criminality, including injuries to our officers.

We sent additional officers to the area, but five arrests have been made for crimes including assault on a police officer, affray, and violent disorder. Around 500 demonstrators were in the area, but the majority of people were dispersed from the immediate area.

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