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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Rachael Burford

Arrests as police clash with protesters trying to stop asylum seekers being moved from London hotel

Ten people were arrested when police clashed with protesters trying to stop asylum seekers being removed from a London hotel on Friday.

Crowds arrived outside Driscoll House in New Kent Road, Southwark from 7am following reports that migrants living there were due to be taken to the Bibby Stockholm barge.

Dozens of Met police officers were stationed at the hotel after previous attempts to move people had to be abandoned due to protests.

Campaigners shouted “here to stay, here to fight” and “refugees are welcome here”.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “ Police responded to a protest in New Kent Road where ten people were arrested on suspicion of preventing access or preventing people from leaving a site.

“All remain in police custody.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “We have been clear protestors should do so in a peaceful manner and not in a way which could potentially disrupt our day-to-day operations.

“The police have our full support in using their powers to tackle disorder at protests.

“As part of our commitment to significantly reducing the use of hotels, asylum seekers are being moved into alternative accommodation to reduce costs on the taxpayer.”

Driscoll House has been a temporary home to hundreds of asylum seekers since 2021, but safety concerns have been raised about the building.

Southwark & Lambeth Anti-Raids said at least five people were removed and taken to the barge in Dorset on Friday.The protest group helped rally people for the large demonstration in Peckham earlier this month, in which 45 people were arrested.

Officers there clashed with crowds attempting to stop a coach leaving for the Bibby Stockholm.

Activists surrounded the bus at a hotel around 8.40am on Thursday May 4 and its tires were let down.

At about the 3pm it was forced to leave without any asylum seekers on board.

Police try to stop protesters forming a blockade around a coach in Peckham earlier this month (PA Wire)

The Bibby Stockholm has been accommodation since last August as ministers sought to find alternatives to costly hotels while migrants await decisions on their asylum applications.

But the vessel has been plagued with issues, including an outbreak of Legionella bacteria on board.

In December it was confirmed that one of the people on board had died, with reports suggesting he had taken his own life.

In February, MPs warned "claustrophobic" conditions on board could amount to a breach of asylum seekers' human rights.

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