Swarms of anti-migrant protesters have descended upon migrant hotels across the country this evening and have already begun clashing with police as the country prepares for a weekend of planned demonstrations.
A protest in Epping, which has been a hub for anti-migrant protest in recent weeks, has descended into chaos with dozens of women all wearing pink block the road.
While officers have made two arrests in Canary Wharf outside the Britannia International Hotel.
One person protesting against the use of the hotel by asylum seekers has been arrested after a bottle was thrown at officers.
A member of the counter-protest group has been arrested for failing to remove a face covering.
The main road outside the hotel is now blocked by hundreds of demonstrators.
There are shouts of ‘save our kids’.
One demonstrator said: ‘It’s mayhem.’
Protestors are now making their way into the town as the main road outside the hotel continues to be closed as a result of the demo.
Dozens are carrying flags, leading chants of ‘Keir Starmer is a w*****’ and ‘send them home’.
Around 100 people had gathered at the Park Hotel in Chichester, but within an hour the crowd had dwindled to around 20 people.
The hotel has been used to house migrants for nearly two years.
Ash Matthews, 33, helped to organise the gathering through social media.
He said the protest was as much about the govt response as illegal immigration.
The crowd chanted: ‘F*** Kier Starmer’ and ‘Kier Starmer is a w*****.’
Painter and decorator, Ash said the demonstration is a protest against the rise of illegal immigration and the lack of govt action.
‘We’ve seen the rise of illegal immigration and we are frightened for our families.
‘We’re parents who are increasingly concerned for our own and our family’s safety.
‘I’ve seen them begging in the street, trying to get children’s attention. We feel it is our duty to our community.’
His brother Reagan, 29, said the lack of government action is making people angry.
‘We don’t know who is coming into the country. There is no ID checks.
‘They are putting people who are coming into the country in front of people who live here.
‘They are living a better life than a lot of people. This is a fight against a broken society. If you are a British citizen and struggling, you get nothing.
‘This is about the British government as much as the illegals.
‘Everyone is just fed up.
‘Their culture is completely different to ours,’ Reagan said.
Ash said: ‘They are not here to integrate.’
In Altrincham, hundreds of people have gathered outside Cresta Court hotel, where some demonstrators are seen in a scuffle with police offers and others are holding placards which read ‘enough is enough’ against a Union Jack.
Counter protestors are also in attendance, holding signs that say ‘refugees welcome’ and ‘stop the far right’.
They took part in the ‘Defend Refugees, Stand Up To Facism’ rally, organised by Stand Up to Racism, near the hotel in Altrincham, Cheshire.
The UK is bracing for a weekend of protest anarchy with both Palestine Action supporters and anti-migrant demonstrators set to take to the streets tomorrow.
More than 500 people are expected gather outside Parliament at 1pm tomorrow in support of Palestine Action, defying warnings they will be charged with terror offences.
Membership of, or support for, the proscribed group is now a criminal offence under the Terrorism Act 2000 and is punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Meanwhile, police up and down the country are also preparing for a series of anti-migrant protests outside hotels and council offices.
There is particular concern about a protest planned in Nuneaton which comes amid claims Warwickshire Police held back information over the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl.
Restrictions have also been put in place by police in at least 12 towns and cities on Friday evening.
In London, the Met Police is bracing for protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers in Canary Wharf and Islington.
Deputy assistant commissioner Ade Adelekan, who is leading the policing operation in London, said: ‘This is going to be a particularly busy few days in London with many simultaneous protests and events that will require a significant policing presence.’
‘There is no doubt that the scale of the public order policing operation will put pressure on our resources, but Londoners can be assured that we have plans in place that will allow us continue to police in communities across all 32 boroughs, responding to emergencies and keeping the public safe,’ he added.
Last night, Scotland Yard issued a stark warning to people planning to attend the Palestine Action protest, saying they may never be able to visit the US or work in education if they do.
Regardless, the group behind the protest Defend Our Juries, has continued to post on its X account, saying counter-terror police had ‘irresponsibly taken down their briefing call’.
It claimed last night, however, that ‘many hundreds’ of people had attended the meeting on another Zoom link.
The group has said that those taking part in Saturday’s protest will hold ‘I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action’ signs as part of a campaign to end the group’s proscription.
Defend Our Juries co-founder Tim Crosland previously praised the people who support Palestine Action as the ‘moral backbone of this country’.
Mr Crosland added in an online press conference he had been ‘hearing from thousands of people wanting to take part in this action’.
‘It feels like there’s huge energy behind it,’ he said.
Mr Adelekan said: ‘What sets this protest apart from others is participants are coming out not just to express a view, but with the aim of being arrested in very large numbers to place a strain on the police and the wider criminal justice system.’
He added: ‘Anyone showing support for Palestine Action can expect to be arrested. I would once again urge people to consider the seriousness of that outcome.’
Police are also expecting a number of local protests in opposition to Israel’s continued Israeli military action in Gaza tonight.
These are due to take place in Tower Hamlets, Putney and Westminster where, last week, a protest organised by the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network saw 36 arrests after a breakaway group attempted to block the road at Oxford Circus.
On Saturday another demonstration by the Palestine Coalition is due to take place through central London.
On Thursday, three people were charged with terror offences for allegedly ‘showing support for Palestine Action at a protest’.
Jeremy Shippam, 71, Judit Murray, 71, and Fiona Maclean, 53, were arrested following a protest in Parliament Square last Saturday.
They will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on September 16, the Met Police said.
The planned demonstration tomorrow has since fuelled fears of a ‘mass arrest’ event.
And today, commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter-Terrorism Command, sent a clear warning to anyone thinking of joining the rally.
According to The Telegraph he said: ‘Anyone who displays public support for Palestine Action, a proscribed organisation, is committing an offence under the Terrorism Act and can expect to be arrested and, as these charges show, will be investigated to the full extent of the law.’
‘I would strongly advise anyone planning to come to London this weekend to show support for Palestine Action to think about the potential criminal consequences of their actions.’
It comes after Mr Adelekan last night called on people to consider the consequences of being arrested under the terrorism act.
He said such a detention can have ‘very real long-term implications – from travel, to employment, to finances’.
Last week, Palestine Action won permission to challenge the ban after the High Court ruled it had an arguable case.
A judicial review will take place in November. Until then, the ban remains in place.
There have already been 200 arrests at protests organised by Defend Our Juries since the ban came into force last month.
Days out from the planned protest, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy also sought to head off potentially chaotic scenes in the capital.
She urged the public to steer clear of support for a ‘proscribed terror organisation that wishes harm on the British people’.
Speaking to Times Radio, Ms Nandy was asked if those who attend Saturday’s protest will be arrested and charged with terror offences.
The Culture Secretary stressed this would be ‘an operational matter for the police’, adding: ‘It wouldn’t be right for us to say, to try and dictate to them how they police any march.
‘But what I would say is, I think some of the reporting around this is conflating legitimate protests.
‘Just last week I was coming out of Parliament, there were lots of pro-Palestinian protesters there, peacefully demonstrating.
‘At the heart of power, that’s absolutely right and proper and important for them to do… I commend them for that.
‘There’s a difference between that and supporting a proscribed terror organisation that wishes harm on the British people.
‘And I would just urge people to stay away from those sorts of events and to exercise their democratic rights in a peaceful and legitimate way.’
