Bank holiday protests and carnival put police on alert

Police are braced for a weekend of potential unrest as they face a fresh wave of protests amid mounting tensions over the use of hotels to house asylum seekers.

- AMY-CLARE MARTIN CRIME CORRESPONDENT

Anti-migrant groups faced off with counterprotesters in Portsmouth city centre yesterday as a weekend of nationwide protests kicked off. The demonstrations, said to be planned at 26 hotels across the country, come as a million revellers are expected to take to the streets of west London to celebrate Notting Hill Carnival.

Forces will also have to grapple with a string of Premier League matches as the season enters its second week of fixtures.

Despite the pressures, police chiefs insist they are “constantly reviewing the intelligence picture” and are well prepared to handle any protest action over the busy bank holiday weekend.

Posts being shared online were advertising anti-migrant protests at 26 sites housing asylum seekers yesterday and over the weekend, including at the Britannia hotel in Canary Wharf and The Bell Hotel in Epping, which have both been previous sites for unrest. Many will be met by counterdemonstrations, with Stand Up to Racism organising 15 events across yesterday and today at locations including Bournemouth, Bristol and Liverpool. “We are constantly reviewing the intelligence picture around protests and other demand, and whilst the Metropolitan Police Service has their own significant resourcing in place for the Notting Hill Carnival, an additional national mobilisation for protests this weekend has not been considered necessary,” a spokesperson said. “We continue to have national mobilisation plans in place to respond should the position change.”

The fresh wave of demonstrations comes as the latest figures showed the number of asylum seekers in hotels had risen to 32,000 during Labour's first year in office, but remains far below the peak of 56,000 in September 2023.