On Sunday, August 23, protesters continued to hold anti-immigrant demonstrations outside hotels across the UK where asylum seekers are housed. The day before, tensions escalated as the government’s immigration policies forced police to separate demonstrators and counter-demonstrators in multiple cities.
Surveys show that immigration is becoming the most pressing issue for the public. The Labour government led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer is under pressure to fulfill its promise to end the use of hotels, which costs billions of pounds annually.
In recent weeks, protests have frequently taken place outside hotels housing asylum seekers in the UK, one of the reasons being a migrant living in a hotel in East London being accused of sexual assault, causing public concerns about safety.
On Sunday, protests occurred across the UK, including in Epping, Bristol, and Birmingham in East London.
Earlier, on Tuesday, a court ruled to evacuate asylum seekers from a hotel in Epping, which has become a focal point for anti-immigrant protests. The government plans to appeal this decision.
On Sunday, protesters gathered again at the hotel, waving British flags and holding signs that read “Epping says no” and “Stop the boats.”
On Saturday, anti-immigrant demonstrators held small-scale rallies in towns across England, Scotland, and Wales.
Official data from Thursday showed a record high in asylum applications. Compared to a year ago, more immigrants are being housed in hotels.
The populist party Reform UK has been leading in recent voting intention surveys, with party leader Nigel Farage proposing a plan to mass deport migrants who cross from the European continent on small boats if the party forms the next government.
He told The Times that he would lead the UK to exit the European Convention on Human Rights, reach repatriation agreements with countries like Afghanistan and Eritrea, and build camps for 24,000 immigrants.
On Sunday, the UK government announced reforms to the asylum appeals process to expedite decisions, reduce backlog, and gradually phase out the use of hotels to house asylum seekers. According to the plan, an independent adjudicating body will be established to handle asylum appeals and reduce a backlog of 106,000 cases, of which 51,000 have been waiting for over a year on average.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper stated that the plan aims to “restore order and modernize” the old system. When she took office as a Labour member last year, she described the system as “utterly chaotic.” She said, “We simply cannot continue to tolerate these delays.”
(Adapted from Reuters)