Protests at hotel thought to be housing asylum seekers

Protests outside an Exeter hotel understood to be accommodating asylum-seekers are dividing political opinion.

The Hampton by Hilton hotel near Exeter Airport was the scene of a protest and some social media posts have suggested another could be planned this weekend.

Two distinct sides arrived at the hotel; one side in favour of stricter immigration laws and against the placement of migrants in hotels without communities being consulted first, with the other emphasising that the asylum-seekers should be welcomed and suggesting that major political parties have whipped their presence into a frenzy.

The protests, posters for which appear to have come from an organisation called the Great British National Protest, have mostly been promoted on social media platforms, such as Facebook, while those sites have also been used to advertise counter-action.

A video of the protest, filmed by someone who goes by the online name troybot14, was posted on YouTube, and has been verified by Devon and Cornwall Police and Stand up to Racism as being from the event on Saturday (9 August).

The individual filming talks to police, and also to protesters on the other side of the debate who are expressing their support for the migrants.

A brief conversation with a security guard on the edge of the hotel grounds appears to suggest the asylum seekers in the hotel are mostly women or families.

The lack of single male asylum seekers is welcomed by the individual and a co-protester who is also filming proceedings.

The issue of the government’s finances is also expressed on the video, with a suggestion that the protesters are concerned about what they view as the cost of looking after asylum seekers, and frustration about the assistance provided to them amid an era of stretched public resources.

Ruth Williams, a councillor on Exeter City Council, attended last Saturday as a private individual in support of the refugees.

“I turned up to support those that are currently staying in the hotel,” she said.

“The protest was fine, and police were in attendance, and they were very friendly and speaking to both sides of the protest.”

Ms Williams said no trouble occurred between the opposing groups, but that she did worry about the effect on those being looked after in the hotel.

“I’m concerned the people in the hotel will be intimidated, and because the hotel is not in [the centre of] Exeter they are going to be quite isolated and it could be quite difficult for them to leave,” she added.

Councillor Neil Stevens (Alphington and Cowick, Reform UK), a member of the Reform UK party at Devon County Council, said most people attending the protests were “ordinary, decent residents who have valid concerns about the safety and wellbeing of their communities”.

“In Exeter, as elsewhere, these protests are driven by frustration at being ignored by politicians in Westminster and by local authorities,” he said.

“It’s important to understand the root cause. Large numbers of predominantly young, male migrants, often unchecked and unvetted, are being placed into hotels in the heart of our cities