Two people have been arrested at a protest outside the Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf as demonstrations took place near hotels housing asylum seekers across the UK.
There was a heavy police presence at the site in central London on Friday evening, with officers separating rival groups.
The trouble came as the Metropolitan Police is gearing up for a busy weekend of demonstrations, including another planned protest and possible counter-protest outside the Britannia Hotel on Sunday.
More than 100 people were protesting with Stand Up to Racism in Canary Wharf as part of the “Defend Refugees, Stop the Far Right” demonstrations happening across the UK on Friday.
About 100 counter-protesters waving Union flags and St George’s Cross flags also gathered on the pavement opposite the hotel.
“One person protesting against the use of the hotel by asylum seekers has been arrested after a bottle was thrown at officers,” the Metropolitan Police said.
“A member of the counter-protest group has been arrested for failing to remove a face covering.”
Following the two arrests, police imposed conditions under the Public Order Act, with counter-protesters instructed to remain on the pavement opposite the Britannia Hotel.
Police said the measures were to “prevent serious disorder at the protests in Canary Wharf”.
Sabby Dhalu, the co-founder of Stand Up to Racism, who attended the demonstration, said: “This weekend sees the greatest number of protests targeting refugees that are in hotels accommodating asylum seekers since last year’s racist riots.
“We’re here to stand up to that because it’s clear that people on the far right want to see a repeat of the violence and the horrific scenes that we saw last year – with racist attacks up and down the country, violent attacks on police, violent attacks on mosques…
“We’re here to stand up to that racism and violence.”
She added: “We’ve got to find better solutions as a society to the various problems that the country is facing: the fact that people are getting worse off is not the fault of refugees.”
Safia Jama, chief executive of the Women’s Inclusive Team charity which provides support to women in Tower Hamlets, was also present.
Gesturing at the counter protesters across the road, she said: “As a woman, I feel less safe today than I’ve ever felt in Tower Hamlets.”
“Generally, I’m very safe in Tower Hamlets: there is no issue or concerns.
“But I’m very worried about going home later, because they will target (us), and when you look at people across the road, it’s mainly men.”
She added: “Tower Hamlets is my home: I went to primary school, primary school here, and I’m still living here.
“I’m not going to have a bunch of people come to my borough and paint my borough as a picture that it isn’t, and say that it isn’t safe for women.
“I’m safe every day, and you’re not going to tell me otherwise.”
On the counter protesters’ side, a pensioner who went by the name of Susie, from Canary Wharf, said the idea of asylum seekers being housed in a local hotel made her feel unsafe.
“When I take the dog for a walk, I always carry a personal alarm because otherwise I’m terrified of being mugged.
“It’s become unsafe because we know from a number of instances throughout the country with migrant hotels that these men, fighting-age men, have got sexual needs and there have been – like in Epping – attacks on girls.”
Multiple demonstrations have been held outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Epping since July 13, after an asylum seeker was charged with allegedly attempting to kiss a 14-year-old girl.
Susie added: “It’s very important to protest against this migrant hotel: first of all, this is Canary Wharf, which is the engine of a country.
“The sheer stupidity of a Government that puts a migrant hotel here just beggars belief.
“These are unvetted, they are criminals by default because they entered the country illegally.”
Referring to the counter protesters, she added: “None of these people here is a racist – they want to look after their own.
“The point is we want to look after children, and girls in particular.”
Protests organised by Stand Up to Racism took place outside hotels housing refugees across the country, including in: Islington, London; Portsmouth, Southampton and Aldershot in Hampshire; Hoylake in Merseyside; Barry in Wales; Leicester in the East Midlands; Altrincham in Cheshire; Bournemouth in Dorset; and Birmingham in the West Midlands.
In Altrincham, a GB News journalist complained to police after she was struck by a placard while attempting to interview anti-racism protesters.
Sophie Reaper, the channel’s North West reporter, said in a post on X: “We went to the Stand Up To Racism counter-protest to offer them the chance to tell their side on GB News – instead I was hit in the head by a metal pole.”
A spokesman for GB News confirmed Ms Reaper was fine following the incident and that she had reported the matter to police.
In Epping, Essex, police also put restrictions in place under the Public Order Act, instructing protesters to remain behind the area marked off by metal fencing outside the Bell Hotel.
A group of women waving Union flags and St George’s Cross flags appeared to defy that order by breaking through metal fences and sitting down on the road outside the hotel, according to footage posted on social media.
Essex Police said the protest passed off “peacefully”, though one man was arrested after an officer was struck by an object, while another was arrested on suspicion of breaching court bail conditions.
A “peaceful protest” also took place outside the Brook Hotel in Norwich, Norfolk, according to the local police force.
“I would like to thank all those who attended and made it a peaceful and safe protest,” Norfolk Police Superintendent Wes Hornigold said.
“We put measures in place today to enable people to exercise their right to protest, whilst maintaining safety and minimising disruption.
“A number of officers were deployed to allow this to happen.”
