Protests in UK against asylum seeker housing continue, counter-protests arise

By&nbspeuronews&nbspwith&nbspAP

Published on 23/08/2025 - 19:23 GMT+2

Protesters took to nan streets crossed nan UK connected Saturday including successful nan metropolis of Liverpool to show against hotels lodging asylum-seekers.

A number of protests nether nan Abolish Asylum System slogan, coined by right-wing governmental parties, were besides group to return spot successful different cities including successful Bristol, Newcastle, and London.

In Liverpool, a counter-protest organised by Stand Up To Racism was besides held.

Police could besides beryllium seen starring distant protesters from nan Abolish Asylum System protestation and pushing backmost demonstrators from nan antagonistic protest.

The dilemma of really to location asylum-seekers successful Britain sewage much challenging for nan authorities aft a landmark tribunal ruling this week motivated opponents to conflict hotels utilized arsenic accommodation.

Politicians connected nan correct capitalized connected a impermanent injunction that blocked lodging asylum-seekers successful a edifice successful Epping, connected nan outskirts of London, to promote different communities to besides spell to court.

Legal responsibility to location asylum-seekers

The rumor is astatine nan bosom of a heated nationalist statement complete really to power unauthorized migration that has bedevilled countries crossed nan West arsenic an influx of migrants seeking a amended life arsenic they fly war-torn countries, poverty, regions wracked by ambiance alteration aliases governmental persecution.

In nan UK, nan statement has focused connected nan presence of migrants crossing nan English Channel successful overloaded boats tally by smugglers and escalating tensions complete lodging thousands of asylum-seekers astatine authorities disbursal astir nan country.

The authorities is legally obligated to location asylum-seekers. Using hotels to do truthful had been a marginal rumor until 2020, erstwhile nan number of asylum-seekers accrued sharply and nan then-Conservative authorities had to find caller ways to location them.

There person been much than 27,000 unauthorized arrivals truthful acold this year, astir 50% higher than astatine nan aforesaid constituent past twelvemonth and up of nan number astatine this clip of twelvemonth successful 2022, erstwhile a grounds 45,755 came ashore.

The number of asylum-seekers housed successful hotels stood astatine conscionable complete 32,000 astatine nan extremity of June, according to Home Office figures released Thursday. That fig was up 8% from astir 29,500 a twelvemonth earlier but acold beneath nan highest of much than 56,000 successful September 2023.

A full of 111,084 group applied for asylum successful nan twelvemonth to June 2025, nan highest number for immoderate 12-month play since existent records began successful 2001.

In May, nan National Audit Office said those temporarily surviving successful hotels accounted for 35% of each group successful asylum accommodation.

Video editor • Rory Elliott Armstrong