On August 23, 2025, towns and cities across the United Kingdom became the stage for a wave of protests and counter-protests over the government’s use of hotels to house asylum seekers—a policy that has divided communities, sparked legal battles, and drawn in political and extremist actors alike. The day’s events, unfolding from Bristol’s Castle Park to the streets of Liverpool and the outskirts of Horley in Surrey, underscored the nation’s deepening struggle over immigration, public safety, and social cohesion.
According to The Guardian, demonstrations under the banner “Abolish Asylum System” erupted in at least a dozen English towns, including Bristol, Exeter, Tamworth, Cannock, Nuneaton, Wakefield, Newcastle upon Tyne, Horley, and even as far afield as Canary Wharf in London. Scotland and Wales were not left untouched, with protests in Aberdeen, Perth, and Mold, Flintshire. In several locations, anti-asylum-seeker demonstrators were met by counter-protests organized by Stand Up to Racism, whose activists chanted, “Say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here,” and brandished placards calling to “stop deportations.”
The clashes were perhaps most intense in Bristol’s Castle Park, where police in riot gear and on horseback were deployed to keep the rival groups apart. Avon and Somerset Police authorized a dispersal zone until 7 am the next day, granting them powers to move anyone causing “harassment, alarm or distress.” At times, the situation teetered on chaos. Mounted officers pressed against crowds, red flares were set off, and scuffles broke out between police and protesters. At least one woman was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker, and other individuals were detained and later released. Chief Inspector Keith Smith praised his officers’ professionalism, noting, “While there were moments of disturbance, we’re pleased to say the two protests have passed without significant incident.”
In Liverpool, tensions also ran high. More than 400 people, many called out by UKIP, marched for the deportation of migrants, while a few hundred counter-demonstrators from Stand Up To Racism and the Merseyside Anti-Fascist Network opposed them. Merseyside Police reported eleven arrests for offences including being drunk and disorderly, assault, and affray. The UKIP march, which began outside St George’s Hall, was quickly redirected by police, who maintained a heavy presence to prevent escalation. One mother, Gaynor Kingsley, told The Times, “We don’t want Liverpool to be a racist city. A cohesive England would be better. It’s sad to see this. We’re such a multicultural city—we’ll decide who comes here and wrap our arms around them.”
Horley, near Gatwick, saw about 200 anti-immigration protesters, many carrying St George and Union flags, facing off against a smaller group of Stand Up to Racism activists. The latter were met with abuse, including shouts of “You’re all scum and you should be ashamed.” Surrey Police made three arrests—two for breach of the peace and one for violating a community protection notice. Police Chief Superintendent Juliet Parker stressed, “While the majority of those present were protesting lawfully, there were some individuals whose behaviour became disruptive, and they were arrested.”
The protests were not isolated incidents but part of a broader, coordinated effort. Reports from The Guardian revealed that members of the far-right Homeland party, a splinter group from Patriotic Alternative, were actively organizing demonstrations through Facebook groups such as “Nuneaton Says No” and “Wetherfield Says No.” Individuals linked to the group—including Tom King, Jennifer Jardine, Matt Alexander, Adam Clegg, Andrew Piper, and Callum Barker—were named as organizers in various towns. Their involvement has heightened concerns that extremist elements are exploiting local anxieties to stir up wider racial conflict. Anti-fascist group Hope Not Hate pointed to the proliferation of union and St George’s flags as evidence of deliberate far-right agitation.
The legal and political context has only fueled the fire. On August 19, 2025, the High Court granted Epping Forest District Council a temporary injunction to remove asylum seekers from the Bell Hotel in Essex starting September 12, following weeks of protests and an incident where a resident was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. The government immediately announced plans to appeal the ruling and challenge the injunction, with other councils considering similar legal actions. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper stated, “Ministers are working to close hotels housing asylum seekers as swiftly as possible as part of an orderly programme that avoids creating problems for other areas.” Security Minister Dan Jarvis echoed the commitment, promising to close all asylum hotels by the end of the current parliament, but “in a managed and ordered way.”
Meanwhile, the scale of the issue remains daunting. Government figures released on August 21 showed that 32,059 asylum seekers are currently housed in hotels—an 8% increase since Labour came to power, but still down from the 2023 peak. The UK is legally obliged to provide shelter for asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute while their claims are processed, a point that continues to generate fierce debate on both sides of the aisle.
Not all local authorities are taking the same approach. Bristol City Council, for example, stated it had no plans to challenge the government’s use of hotels for asylum seekers. In County Antrim, Northern Ireland, a smaller protest outside a hotel prompted the local council to begin investigating the site’s legal planning status. In Mold, Wales, about 300 residents protested a possible accommodation plan, met by a counter-protest of 40 people carrying banners reading “no to racism” and “asylum seekers welcome.”
For many involved, the motivations are complex. Emma Taylor-Beale, a Stand Up to Racism protester in Horley, reflected, “I’ve got a heart for anyone who’s got a need and our migrant community deserve protection, they deserve dignity, they’ve been through enough.” She added, “This isn’t just the far-right, you can’t label everyone on that side who’s come out as far right, I think people are buying into lies, they’re angry, they’re hurt and people have got a reason to be angry right now.” Economic inequality and the housing crisis, she argued, are at the root of much of the anger.
On the other side, high-profile politicians are seeking to capitalize on the unrest. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has promised a five-year “mass deportation” plan, which would see five charter flights leaving the UK daily. He told The Times, “There is only one way to stop people coming into Britain and that is to detain them and deport them.” He framed the situation as a “massive crisis,” warning that public anger is “not very far away from disorder.”
Saturday’s demonstrations, and the legal and political battles surrounding them, have laid bare the fault lines in British society over immigration, national identity, and how to balance compassion with concerns about law and order. As both sides dig in and more protests are planned, the government faces mounting pressure to find a path forward that addresses local grievances, upholds legal obligations, and prevents further escalation on Britain’s streets.
