Protesters surrounded an empty hotel in London’s finance district after false rumours online suggested it was being used for migrants from another hotel, where riots have broken out.
The Home Office has earmarked more than 400 beds at the Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf, which it says it will use to house migrants at £81 per night per person.
Protesters gathered at the site on Tuesday after social media posts claimed migrants were being moved there from the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, which has been the scene of violent protests over the past few days. So far, 10 people have been arrested in connection with that disorder, which was sparked when an asylum seeker was charged with sexual assault.
Tommy Robinson, the far-right activist, is among those who claimed online that migrants were being transferred to the London hotel from Epping.
The rumours sparked protests and counterprotests, with police drafted to the scene on Tuesday, despite the hotel currently sitting empty.
Demonstrators had also seized on online claims that migrants were being housed at £400 a night, five times more than the actual cost, which the government will not be charged until migrants move in.
“Asylum seekers are not being removed from The Bell Hotel in Epping,” a Home Office spokesperson said.
Reform MP Lee Anderson was accused of further stoking division by attending the protest outside the Canary Wharf hotel and warning of “an influx of illegal migrants”.
“What are we playing at?” he asked on social media. He posted a clip in which he said he is “absolutely furious” and that families across the UK would not be able to afford a night’s stay in the hotel.
Care4Calais head of advocacy Charlotte Khan hit out at Mr Anderson for his video. She said: “The truth is, MPs should be more responsible than to sow division and hatred in our communities.”
She added: “MPs … who spread misinformation and hate that dehumanises refugees should be held accountable for their role in encouraging violence and racism on our streets.”
Nathan Phillips, head of campaigns at the charity Asylum Matters, hit out at the demonstrations which he said had “morphed into yet more racist violence”.
“In that context, it’s clear how disgracefully dangerous and utterly irresponsible it is for an MP to use his platform to identify a site where people are about to be housed and encourage his followers to “protest” against it.
“It’s appalling that there’s no accountability for an elected official who actively encourages the exact same sort of “protests” that have led to violence and arrests in Epping this week.”
In Essex, local Conservative MP Dr Neil Hudson warned that the riots were a “crisis that has reached boiling point”.
Essex Police made 10 arrests after more than 500 gathered outside the hotel, with rioters attacking police vans and injuring a police officer.
On Sunday night, two security guards working at the Bell Hotel were also attacked at a bus stop, and are recovering in hospital.
Giving an update to the media in Chelmsford on Wednesday, Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington said: “I want to thank the people of Epping, I want to thank the people of Essex.
“I also want to thank all those who have turned up to protest and express their views peacefully and lawfully, because there have been many of those.
“What has been unacceptable has been the people who have come to Epping and committed violence, who have attacked people who work at the hotel, who have attacked officers, who have damaged property and who have caused fear and disruption to the people of Epping.
“That is not tolerable, it will not be tolerated, and to that end, we have made 10 arrests.”
He appealed to the people of Essex to “help us to do our job and make sure everyone can express their rights and their views safely and peacefully”.
The latest demonstrations come a day after Angela Rayner issued an ultimatum to Sir Keir Starmer, warning that the UK faces a repeat of last year’s summer riots unless “the government shows it can address people’s concerns”.
The deputy prime minister said economic insecurity, immigration, the increasing time people spend online, and declining trust in institutions were having a “profound impact on society”.
And, amid fears this summer could see riots similar to those in the wake of the Southport murders last year, Ms Rayner said it was urgent Sir Keir delivers tangible improvements to living standards. Of the 18 places hit with the worst rioting last summer, Ms Rayner noted that 17 are among the country’s most deprived areas.
Michael Gove on Wednesday branded the comments about a repeat of last summer’s violence “a big mistake” which could “tacitly encourage” fresh riots.
The Tory ex-minister said Ms Rayner was right to acknowledge concern across the country about immigration and living standards and encourage the government to prove it can deliver.
But Mr Gove told ITV: “I think this is a mistake on Labour, to brief this out, I think it is a big mistake, it reminds me of what happened in the 1970s when [former US president] Jimmy Carter, when America was going through difficult times, said ‘this country is in the grip of a malaise’.
“You do not, if you are the government, accentuate the negative in this way and you certainly don’t suggest to people that violence might be about to break out in this way.”
A spokesperson for Tower Hamlets Council, the authority responsible for Canary Wharf, called on the government to ensure “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,” they added.
