Violence fears as Perth council says asylum protesters being ‘bussed in’ | UK News

Scottish councillors have raised concerns that protests over asylum seekers could turn violent and believe many demonstrators have been “bussed in” from elsewhere.

Fractious protests have been held across the UK over the weekend, targeting areas where asylum seekers are housed, with many attracting counter demonstrations from anti-racism campaigners.

Perth and Kinross deputy council leader Eric Drysdale said he did not recognise many faces at Saturday’s protest in Perth and that the majority were not from the local area.

Police separated hundreds of demonstrators outside the Radisson Blu hotel on Leonard Street, with many chanting and holding signs with slogans like “get them out”.

Scotland News reporters went to the scene and witnessed men shouting and using strong language in front of children who had been brought to the protest.

Some demonstrators were asked to be interviewed, but declined to comment.

Police confirmed no arrests had been made in Perth, or in Aberdeenshire where another protest had taken place.

Mr Drysdale, who is also club secretary at Dundee FC, told Scotland News how Saturday’s protest in Perth had a “strange atmosphere”.

“It felt like the majority of the protestors were not from Perth,” he said.

“The city centre is my ward and I know a lot of people. I didn’t recognise many of them.

“They appeared suddenly and I think they have been bussed in from other towns and cities to make this protest.”

His views were shared by council leader Grant Laing who told the that a lot of people had come in from other areas because Perth was “selected” for the protest to take place.

Though Mr Drysdale stressed that there was no violence at the demonstration in Perth, the SNP councillor said that his constituents were worried about “physical violence and damage” due to protestors choosing the “wrong target” of asylum seekers.

Hotel accommodation for asylum seekers is managed by Mears Group on behalf of the Home Office, which meets the full costs of rooms, meals and financial allowances.

The UK government is planning an overhaul of the asylum appeals system as it tries to cut the number of migrants staying in hotels while they await a ruling.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said she was taking practical steps to end “unacceptable delays” to the asylum appeals process, with a new body, staffed by independent adjudicators, to be established.

The Refugee Council told the best way of “getting fewer appeals is getting decisions right first time”.

Tensions over the asylum system have been rising since July, when an asylum seeker living in a hotel in Essex was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in the town.

Thousands have demonstrated at the hotel and this week, the High Court granted the council the power to block asylum seekers from being housed there.

It argued that the hotel had breached local planning controls by changing its use, resulting in events that were a public safety risk.

The ruling has sparked a fresh wave of protests up and down the UK – this weekend alone there have been demonstrations in several parts of England, as well as in Mold in Wales and County Antrim in Northern Ireland.

The protests have been promoted on social media under red, white and blue banner text with slogans such as “Protect Our Community”, “Safety of Women and Children Before Foreigners” and “All Patriots Welcome”.

They are often organised by people with little experience of street campaigning and the has identified far-right activists at some of the protests.

A protest at outside a former hotel in Falkirk last weekend saw at least one person perform a Nazi salute while another carried a banner that said “Kill ‘Em All, Let God Sort ‘Em Out”.

Anti-racism charity Stand Up To Racism described these demonstrators as “extremists”.

More demonstrations are planned in Scotland in the coming weeks, including a local group in Falkirk who plan to line the streets with national flags – mimicking the recent flying of St George’s flags and union jacks on England’s streets.

Ahead of the protest in Perth, the council’s community safety partnership accused some of spreading misinformation about asylum seekers, saying those protesting “under the guise of public safety or protection, do so with no local factual evidence”.

Mr Drysdale said he was aware of untrue rumours circulating including claims that asylum seekers are being prioritised for healthcare or housing in the city.

The deputy council leader also welcomed the overhaul plans from the UK government, saying the process has “always needed to be speeded up”.

He said: “We have 191 asylum seekers in Perth at the moment, there have been something like 300 that have come through Perth at different times since 2021.

“It’s not good for the asylum seekers to be housed in a hotel for that length of time either.

“Let’s not lose sight of the fact that asylum seekers are fleeing situations in their own countries which are dangerous and life-threatening.”