Rival protesters clash outside asylum seeker hotel

ITV News

2 days ago

Rival groups have protested outside a hotel in Greater Manchester which is housing asylum seekers.Hundreds of people attended the demonstrations outside Cresta Court in Altrincham on Friday evening (August 8).
The opposing groups were separated by a dual carriageway with dozens of police assembled on the central reservation of the A56 Church Street.
The hotel closed last year, with all future bookings moved to alternative hotels in and around Trafford, after the owners of the venue reportedly agreed a deal with Serco.
Since then, the Best Western hotel has been used as accommodation for asylum seekers.People inside the hotel could be seen looking outside their windows as protesters gathered on either side of the road in front.
Around 100 people had assembled on each side of the dual carriageway once the protest had got under way by around 6pm.UK and English flags were waved on the side facing the hotels with chants of 'save our kids' and 'send them home' regularly repeated.Some were dressed in suits while a couple were wearing baseball caps with 'Make Britain Great Again' written on the front.Protesters could be heard shouting 'traitors' towards the counter-demonstration which was on the opposite side of the road.
The counter-protesters, many of whom were carrying Stand Up to Racism placards, were heard chanting 'refugees are welcome here'.Several locals said they have been concerned about their safety since the hotel was turned into accommodation for asylum seekers while others were angry about the amount of money spent on housing refugees.One local resident said: "We're not racist we're just worried about our kids. We don't know who they are. They've got no passports."She added: "This is not just here it's all over the country and it's about time we stood up to do it."
Nahella Ashraf, co-chair of Stand Up to Racism in Greater Manchester, said counter-protesters were there to show solidarity with refugees but also to send a clear message that the rival protesters 'don't speak for us' and are 'not the majority'.She said: "The very reason they're not happy is because they're saying, 'they're refugees, we don't know where they're from'."But this used to be a hotel. People would come in. You didn't know who was staying there. Anyone can come and book into a hotel."You weren't concerned then. So you're telling me this is a legitimate concern? No it's not. It's racism at its core."
The counter-demonstration had dispersed shortly after 7.30pm with most of the protesters leaving by around 8pm.A number of physical confrontations took place during the protests with at least two assaults reported to the police.However, it's not clear if any arrests were made. Greater Manchester Police has been approached for more information.