Counter-protests are expected at the weekend demonstration

15:22, 28 Jan 2026Updated 15:24, 28 Jan 2026

Organisers say police in Wrexham will 'facilitate a lawful and peaceful protest'

Organisers say police in Wrexham will ‘facilitate a lawful and peaceful protest'(Image: North Wales Police)

A protest march against “illegal migrants” is planned in Wrexham city centre this weekend. A counter-protest is also being organised and police have been put on standby.

The event was arranged prior to a Home Office decision to scrap proposals for asylum accommodation at Plas yn Rhos in the village of Rhosllanerchrugog. Organisers Wrexham Unite said the march will still be going ahead to highlight wider concerns about the potential use of Wrexham accommodation for asylum dispersals.

In particular, the event will flag community alarm over a planned HMO (House in Multiple Occupation) in the tiny village of Sydallt, near Gwersyllt. The protest is scheduled for Saturday, January 31, starting at 12 noon.

Participants are asked to gather at Yorke Street for a “peaceful march” along High Street and Hope Street before heading back to Llwyn Isaf by the library and Guildhall. The event is due to end around 4pm after speeches.

Wrexham Unite stressed the event is intended as a family event. Participants are asked not to wear face coverings and to refrain from “kicking off”.

In an online post, the organisers said: “We have pensioners attending. We have children attending. People from all walks of life will be there. Keep your head together and represent Wrexham properly. Show people what Wrexham is really about. North Wales Police are aware of the proposed plan and will facilitate a lawful and peaceful protest.

“We are aware of a counter-protest. If you encounter anyone from the counter-protest winding you up and trying to pick a fight, don’t rise to it. Let them look stupid. Check your mates. If you see anyone starting to get riled up, keep them in line.” Join the North Wales Live Whatsapp community now

A similar protest march in Llanelli last summer led to controversial asylum plans being dropped at the town's Stradey Park Hotel

A similar protest march in Llanelli last summer led to controversial asylum plans being dropped at the town’s Stradey Park Hotel(Image: Graham Harries/Media Wales)

It remains to be seen if Welsh folk anthem ‘Yma o Hyd’ will be heard during the march: music legend Dafydd Iwan has told protest organisers not to use the song, saying he doesn’t want to be linked to a “hate-driven campaign”.

The song celebrates the survival of the Welsh language and culture. Online, Wrexham Unite claimed Yma o Hyd was a “song for everyone who calls Wales home”.

An online petition against a planned HMO at Oak Alyn Hall, a former care home in Sydallt, is now close to raising 4,400 names in less than a fortnight. The property’s owner, Manchester lawyer Bilal Babar, has dismissed speculation it’s earmarked for asylum housing as “lies”, saying he only wants to “deliver much-needed affordable accommodation” for the Wrexham area.

However a Home Office application was submitted last October by Clearsprings, one of three companies with Home Office contracts to provide accommodation services for asylum seekers. Objectors have erected a series of roadside hoardings saying they don’t want an HMO whatever its intended purpose, claiming local services are stretched too far already.

Meanwhile, Wrexham Council has confirmed an Extraordinary General Meeting for Friday, February 6. A motion will highlight the “lack of fairness and transparency and accountability” in the Home Office’s asylum dispersal system.

It follows the Home Office’s rejection of concerns raised by the local authority in relation to the recent asylum applications in Sydallt and Rhosllanerchrugog. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox

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