“Migrant hotel” protests

[Kibble19]

These are ramping up a bit lately. I’ve seen them around Manchester, London, Leeds, Epping and various other locations.

If you’re unaware, hotels suspected of housing illegal immigrants (undocumented persons, if you prefer) are attracting crowds of people who are concerned about having these unchecked, unknown individuals in their community. I believe the main concern that they have is that they are free to roam around with nobody having any idea as to who they are, their potential past criminal activity etc.
The £50/70 weekly money they’re given is also a bone of contention, clearly.
Usually they’re streamed on YouTube and usually there’s a counter protest from a more left-wing group who chant that immigrants are welcome. Cue fights, arrests and dispersal orders.

At the centre of it all are independent people who film and stream it online, which is how I saw it.

Do you think we’ll continue to see more of this? 1004 people are known to have come to the UK on small boats with no permission to stay here in the last 7 days, so I imagine we will.

Or have you been to any of the protests? Do you agree with them?

No I don’t agree with them. These are human beings we’re talking about. They are asylum seekers, not illegal immigrants.

I also think that your OP is very goady, @Kibble19 - one might wonder what your intentions are with this thread?

Journalist?

I don't agree with them either, but yes, I think we'll see more of them. The far right are very active on social media and they're doing their best to whip up hate.

Definitely not. I’m not sure that’s truly a thing on MN these days.

This. Thank you.

How is it goady?

If you don’t like it, scroll on past. My intentions are to find out others’ opinions on a current issue. Just like half the other threads on MN.

It's happening all over. Hotels providing these services are paid big sums of money to provide shelter , food , WiFi. When people are struggling for resources and the current COL crisis it sisters resentment. Added to the fact that these are mostly undocumented military age men as opposed to women and children it is an explosive situation . Then there is the cultural element with different views of what is acceptable public behaviour and the misogynistic slant in their religious beliefs .

I personally would not participate in any rally or protest. It doesn't change anything and attracts a far right element prone to random violence .

They are asylum seekers who are undergoing the required legal process to determine if they are allowed to remain as refugees. There is no way to claim asylum from outside the UK so no legal way for a refugee to enter the UK and have an asylum claim processed
They don't get £70 or even £50 a week if they are in hotel accommodation. They get £9.95 per person.

Facts are always useful

"If you're unaware..."

I think everyone's pretty aware.

The protesters are mainly thugs many of whom have convictions for VAWG. So I'm not at all convinced by their arguments that they're worried about the safety of women and children.

And before anyone asks, I live in small-boat central and am repulsed by the actions of these 'protesters'. No human being is 'illegal'.

It's goady because:
a) you are posting artificially inflated estimates of money given to asylum seekers
b) you are referring to asylum seekers as 'illegal immigrants' and 'unchecked, unknown individuals'
c) you are glossing over the significant presence of far right racists who organise and attend these events, describing them as simply 'concerned' citizens
d) you are immediately associating asylum seekers with 'potential past criminal activity'

Actually, facts are not so useful when you're trying really hard to stir up hate towards vulnerable groups in our society. Facts are pretty damn inconvenient in that scenario, and they need to be kept as far away from the debate as possible.

I find it impossible to ‘scroll on by’ stuff that’s both untrue and offensive.

I’m perfectly aware that it’s about a tenner per week if you’re in a hotel and £50 a week if you’re not (with extra payments if you have a baby etc). But it’s definitely correct that it is a bone of contention that the people who do attend the protests do believe that it’s £50-70 per person, per week.

I’m not actually privy to the details of what ID documents, police checks and other information these people provide when they arrive here. But I’d be incredibly surprised, given the number of daily arrivals, if these checks can be processed so quickly before the people are given accommodation. If those checks aren’t done, then yes they are unknown with a potential for a criminal history that nobody knows anything about.

Given your awareness of the money that asylum seekers are given if they're housed in hotels, was there actually reason why you referred to people in the migrant hotels getting £50/£70 per week?

It seems that you're now acknowledging that this is a common misunderstanding on the part of the people protesting, but for some reason, your OP presented it as fact.

Could it be that it might suit your narrative to promote that misunderstanding?

But I’d be incredibly surprised, given the number of daily arrivals, if these checks can be processed so quickly before the people are given accommodation.

What on earth do you think should be done with ’these people' when they arrive?

They are claiming asylum after having entered the UK without the correct documents, which is illegal.

As you can easily check, they receive accommodation plus £49.18 if the accommodation does not provide food or £9.95 if food is provided.

There are problems, and those living locally understand that.

Something needs to change. 🤷‍♀️

I agree that there are problems which those living near asylum seeker accommodation will understand well.

For example, in my local community, a 16yo boy who had already fled the most horrific persecution in his home country was very badly beaten up by racist thugs only a few days after he arrived.

Something absolutely needs to change to stop this kind of hostility.

There are problems, and those living locally understand that.

And any problems that there are will not be helped by protestors stirring up hate and dissent about asylum seekers.

I live locally. The only problems I have ever encountered are with drunken, racist, thuggish men who have lived here all their lives.

It's scapegoating, pure and simple.

I hate to tell you this OP but your community already contains lots of unchecked people roaming about- the general public!
Protests happened locally to me last year. A variety of right wing groups appeared and pretended to be concerned locals. They wound up all the Reform types with the sort of ’ facts’ like £70 per week too.
They also claimed that the hotel residents had chased a group of girls. Coincidentally the girls family were very vocal protesters. This was investigated by the police and the girls and their families eventually admitted it was all a lie. Horrible, horrible people. I’m so ashamed of them and that it happened here.

What surprises me is these so called patriots will go and harass women children and men who are vulnerable and have fled awful conditions or persecution but can’t show up when it British sex offenders.

for example in Manchester there are over 200 police officers on bail for sexual offenses I myself was sexually assaulted by one at work yet for the life of me even though it was all over TV and he is on bail and gone guilty on 2 of the charges the GB news refused to run a story as I wouldn’t answer his questions on the officers ethnicity.

these Brit patriots won’t help with grooming protests unless the perpetrators fit the face of racist ideology.

and yes I live by a few of the hotels and quite a lot of the mums attend local English classes at my library and a lot of the young men help with the local voluntary groups and weirdly enough a large number are Christian.

they don’t get £50 a day and any idiot who believes that is an idiot.

like I say these patriots need to start backing what they say and protecting women and girls without shouting racist propaganda and needing a pub or alcohol to fire them up.

im all for freedom of speech but when it is a load of men with DV charges drunk and shouting racist bile terinology they aren’t welcome

I’m my last placement on PGCE I had a class with some children in whose families were living in a hotel while their asylum claims were being processed. What struck me was that these families get moved around a lot, often with little or no notice. Those that I met had been deeply traumatised by both what they saw in their home countries, and by the process of getting here. My heart went out to these frightened and traumatised children.

people who chose to heap more fear and trauma onto people who have suffered so much already are below pond scum in my estimation.

i would never ever support protests at hotels and if I found out a family member was attending these protests or trying to whip up hatred online, we would not speak for a very long time.

Absolutely. What a fantastic post @FrenchFancie We need empathy and compassion, not knee-jerk prejudice and hatred.