In U.K., dueling immigration protests spark confrontations

Opponents and supporters of migrants faced off in angry confrontations at demonstrations held around Britain over a holiday weekend as the government scrambled to deal with fallout from a court order that will force a hotel in a London suburb to evict asylum seekers.

- BY PAN PYLAS AND BRIAN MELLEY

THE BELL hotel in Epping was ordered shut after weeks of demonstrations.

ALBERTO PEZZALI Associated Press

The ruling has created a headache for the government, which has struggled to curb unauthorized migration and fulfill its responsibility to accommodate those seeking refuge.

Immigration has become a political tinderbox as countries across the West try to cope with an influx of migrants seeking a better life as they flee war-torn countries, poverty, regions racked by climate change or political persecution. The debate in the U.K. has focused on migrants crossing the English Channel in overloaded boats run by smugglers, as well as escalating tensions over housing tens of thousands of asylum seekers at public expense.

To help resolve the crisis, the government announced Sunday that it would speed up asylum appeals that could lead to more deportations and clear a backlog of cases.