Mass protests have exploded outside migrant hotels across the country this weekend as furious families gathered in major cities including Birmingham and London.
A group of protesters, some draped in the St George’s Cross, gathered outside the Castle Bromwich Holiday Inn in Birmingham on Sunday, while in London police stood guard at the Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf.
In Norwich, demonstrators gathered outside the Brook Hotel, draping themselves in Union and St George’s flags.
Hotels across Dudley, Epping, London, Manchester and Norwich have also braced for protests as communities seek to replicate the ruling for The Bell Hotel which, pending an appeal, must be closed within weeks.
It comes after more than 30 protests under the Abolish Asylum system were held in towns and cities across the UK on Saturday.
These included Bristol, Exeter, Tamworth, Cannock, Nuneaton, Liverpool, Wakefield, Newcastle, Horley, Canary Wharf, Aberdeen and Perth in Scotland, and Mold in Wales.
A separate batch of protests were also organised by Stand Up to Racism in Bristol, Cannock, Leicester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Wakefield, Horley and Long Eaton in Derbyshire.
A group of protesters, some draped in the St George’s Cross, gathered outside the Castle Bromwich Holiday Inn in Birmingham on Sunday, while in London police stood guard at the Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf
Pictured: anti-migrant protestors were seen in Birmingham on Sunday
Protesters and policeman come face to face in Norwich in Sunday as people take to the streets to protest against the Brook Hotel’s housing of asylum seekers
Demonstrators in Norwich pictured waving St George’s flags and Union Jacks outside the Brook Hotel
Hotels across Dudley, Epping, London, Manchester and Norwich have also braced for protests as communities seek to replicate the ruling for The Bell Hotel which, pending an appeal, must be closed within weeks
People demonstrating under the Abolish Asylum System slogan outside the former Bell Hotel in Epping on Sunday
It comes after more than 30 protests under the Abolish Asylum system were held in towns and cities across the UK on Saturday. Pictured: Mounted police officers scuffle with demonstrators during a protest by Abolish Asylum System and counter protesters at Castle Park in Bristol
At least 15 people were reportedly arrested in Bristol, Liverpool and Horley, The Times reported.
On Sunday afternoon, protesters in Birmingham were seen peering through the doors of the hotel and one was seen scaling a ladder to hang a flag on a lamp post by the Holiday Inn sign.
At Canary Wharf, police officers stood at the entrance to the Britannia Hotel while security guards could also be seen standing behind full length barriers that blocked off the entrance way.
One woman was seen holding a sign that read: ‘Enough is Enough. Protect our women and girls.’
About 20 protesters stood quietly on the other side of the road with Union flags propped up against a fence.
A woman carried a homemade banner which read: ‘Tower Hamlets council house homeless Brits first’ which had a St George’s flag drawn on it.
Another banner read: ‘Enough is enough protect our women and girls.’
The hotel, which is being used to accommodate hundreds of migrants, has often become the centre of focus for a group of female anti-migrant protesters dubbed the ‘Pink Ladies’.
The group, a faction within the wider anti-migrant movement, say they are seeking to highlight the perceived danger to women and girls by those seeking asylum.
The Bell Hotel in Epping has become the centre of focus for a group of female anti-migrant protesters dubbed the ‘Pink Ladies’, pictured on Sunday
Demonstrators lit flares and marched through the streets of Epping on Sunday afternoon
Large crowds took a seat on a local roundabout as protests ramped up in Epping
People demonstrating under the Abolish Asylum System slogan outside the former Bell Hotel in Epping
On Tuesday, the High Court granted Epping Forest District Council a temporary injunction to remove asylum seekers from the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, from September 12
In Manchester, disgruntled locals could be seen gathering around the John Bull statue to protest the Manchester South Hotel’s housing of asylum seekers
Demonstrators blowing whistles and waving flags in Fallowfield, Manchester on Sunday
Crowds wave flags outside the hotel in Manchester as police officers watch on
Protests in Norwich echoed those in other parts of the country including London and Birmingham
On Sunday afternoon, protesters in Birmingham were seen peering through the doors of the hotel and one was seen scaling a ladder to hang a flag on a lamp post by the Holiday Inn sign
Pictured: protesters gather in Birmingham on Sunday following widespread demonstrations across the UK the day before
A protestor in Birmingham was seen putting up a St George’s Cross flag outside of the Castle Bromwich Holiday Inn
Protestors came out in their masses in Birmingham on Sunday under the Abolish Asylum System slogan
At Canary Wharf, police officers stood at the entrance to the Britannia Hotel while security guards could also be seen standing behind full length barriers that blocked off the entrance way
A woman carried a homemade banner which read: ‘Tower Hamlets council house homeless Brits first’ which had a St George’s flag drawn on it. Another banner read: ‘Enough is enough protect our women and girls’
Two protesters in Norwich walk past a poster criticising Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s migrant policy
Local councils also publicly announced their intention to seek legal advice as to whether they could achieve a similar injunction to Epping for hotels in their areas (pictured: protesters in Norwich)
Many protesters have been demanding asylum seeker hotels stop housing illegal migrants
Large crowds pictured holding up placards in Norwich on Sunday
Pictured: an anti-migrant protestor walks with a flag outside of Britannia Hotel on August 23. The hotel, which is being used to accommodate hundreds of migrants, has often become the centre of focus for a group of female anti-migrant protesters dubbed the ‘Pink Ladies’
At least 15 people were reportedly arrested in Bristol, Liverpool and Horley on Saturday, The Times reported. Pictured: a demonstrator clashes with police officers outside the Sheraton Four Points Hotel in Horley
In Stevenage, a small number of protesters were seen gathered outside of the Ibis Hotel in the town centre on Sunday.
The hotel is housing hundreds of asylum seekers and has done so since September 2022.
A group of protesters, numbering no more than 50, gathered to ‘peacefully protest’ for ‘our children’ and for ‘our future’, they claimed.
Three people sipping cans of beer and wearing balaclavas jumped onto the hotel ledging and blared music from a speaker, with five England flags attached to the hotel room windows.
Meanwhile, others protesters draped in England flags surrounded the hotel.
Police dispersed the small crowds shortly after 2pm as the drunken trio refused to jump down.
Earlier this week, Stevenage Borough Council said it was ‘actively investigating’ alleged breaches of planning control in asylum seeker hotels in the town.
On Saturday, mounted police were brought in to separate rival groups in Castle Park, Bristol, with one of those detained said to be a 37-year-old woman on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker.
Crowds of UK Independence Party (UKIP) supporters and anti-fascist demonstrators also gathered in Liverpool city centre for a ‘mass deportations’ march’, with at least 11 people were arrested.
Meanwhile in Horley, three arrests were made outside the Four Points hotel – two for breach of the peace and one for breaching the conditions of a community protection notice.
In Horley, three arrests were made outside the Four Points hotel on Saturday – two for breach of the peace and one for breaching the conditions of a community protection notice
Hundreds of people turned up to protest against Home Office plans to house asylum seekers in flats in the town centre of Mold, North Wales on Saturday
Children were among those attending a protest in Perth on Saturday and were seen jeering and making obscene hand gestures at counter-protesters
Counter protestors were seen gathered in Horley on Saturday
A large group of counter protesters pose for photos as they hold a banner reading ‘No to racism, refugees welcome’ in Perth on Saturday
Around 200 anti-immigration protesters draped in St George and Union flags clashed with roughly 50 Stand Up to Racism protesters in Bonehurst Road.
The anti-racism protesters chanted ‘say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here’, and held signs calling for solidarity and to ‘stop deportations’.
They were met with a torrent of abuse from the anti-migration group, one of whom yelled through a megaphone ‘you’re all scum and you should be ashamed’ and ‘this wasn’t about racism’.
In Perth, a group called Abolish Asylum System held a protest outside the Radisson Blu on Saturday morning.
The protestors were seen holding up signs with slogans such as ‘Perth is full – empty the hotels’ and ‘get them out’.
This was met with a counter-protest organised by Perth Against Racism, with the sides chanting and shouting at each other.
Their opponents held a banner saying ‘No to racism, refugees welcome’. The groups dispersed in the early afternoon.
On Tuesday, the High Court granted Epping Forest District Council a temporary injunction to remove asylum seekers from the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, from September 12.
Regular protests had been held outside the hotel in recent weeks after an asylum seeker was charged with trying to kiss a 14-year-old girl, which he denies.
The Government announced plans on Friday to appeal against the High Court’s refusal to allow it to intervene in the case, and to further appeal against the temporary injunction.
Other local councils also publicly announced their intention to seek legal advice as to whether they could achieve a similar injunction for hotels in their areas.
Around 200 anti-immigration protesters draped in St George and Union flags clashed with roughly 50 Stand Up to Racism protesters in Bonehurst Road, Horley (pictured) on Saturday
Mounted police officers are deployed during a protest by Abolish Asylum System and counter demonstrators at Castle Park in Bristol
A sign on the floor reads ‘stop the boats get them out’ in Newcastle
Many protestors hope the demonstrations will ultimately result in a ruling for The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, which must close to asylum seekers in weeks unless an appeal is granted
Reform UK’s Nigel Farage has set out plans for mass deportations if he becomes prime minister.
Arresting asylum seekers on arrival, automatic detention and forced deportation to countries such as Afghanistan and Eritrea are among the proposals reported to be announced on Tuesday.
They also include deals with third countries, which could include reviving the Conservatives’ Rwanda link-up, and sending asylum seekers to British overseas territories such as Ascension Island as a ‘fallback’ option.
Mr Farage said the plans could see hundreds of thousands of people deported and five charter flights taking off from the UK every day.
The first step of Reform UK’s plans would be to leave the European Convention on Human Rights and to scrap the Human Rights Act, followed by legislation to bar those who come to the UK on small boats from claiming asylum.
Many protestors hope the demonstrations will ultimately result in a ruling for The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, which must close to asylum seekers in weeks unless an appeal is granted.
Demonstrations first began in Epping after it was revealed that one resident, an asylum seeker from Ethiopia, had been accused of sexually assaulting a local schoolgirl.
It was alleged that he tried to kiss the 14-year-old. He denies the allegations.
Many protestors hope the demonstrations will ultimately result in a ruling for The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, which must close to asylum seekers in weeks unless an appeal is granted
Demonstrations first began outside The Bell Hotel (pictured) in Epping after it was revealed that one resident, an asylum seeker from Ethiopia, had been accused of sexually assaulting a local schoolgirl
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said ‘completely unacceptable’ delays in the appeals process left failed asylum seekers in the system for years
Official figures released earlier this month showed a total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said that ‘completely unacceptable’ delays in the appeals process have left failed asylum seekers in the system for years.
The Home Secretary declared an overhaul would result in a system which is ‘swift, fair and independent, with high standards in place’.
She added: ‘We inherited an asylum system in complete chaos with a soaring backlog of asylum cases and a broken appeals system with thousands of people in the system for years on end.
‘That is why we are taking practical steps to fix the foundations and restore control and order to the system.
‘We are determined to substantially reduce the number of people in the asylum system as part of our plan to end asylum hotels.’