Police attend protest outside London hotel which will house asylum seekers | UK News

Metropolitan Police officers attended the scene of a protest outside a hotel in east London where asylum seekers will be homed.

The protest took place on Tuesday outside the four-star Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf, which the government intends to use as temporary accommodation for asylum seekers, according to Tower Hamlets Council.

A police statement from last night said: “Officers are currently in attendance at a protest outside a hotel in Canary Wharf.

“We have a policing plan in place and will continue to monitor events.”

A spokesperson for Tower Hamlets Council said: “We are aware of the government’s decision to use the Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf to provide temporary accommodation for asylum seekers.

“It is important that the government ensures that there is a full package of support for those staying at the hotel.

“We are working with the Home Office and partners to make sure that all necessary safety and safeguarding arrangements are in place.”

Local independent MP Apsana Begum said on X: “In Poplar and Limehouse, we are clear: refugees are welcome here.

“In the face of relentless demonisation and targeting, we continue to stand with migrants for their rights to safety and dignity.

“It’s the far-right and their hateful ideology that are not welcome here.”

There have been a series of demonstrations outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, since asylum seeker Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, was charged with sexual assault after an incident earlier this month in which he is alleged to have attempted to kiss a 14-year-old girl.

Kebatu denied the charge when he appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

Four men have been charged with violent disorder after the protests outside the hotel in Essex, which is believed to be housing asylum seekers, police say.