Asylum seekers in Bedfordshire fear venturing outside in face of demonstrations

A fire breaks out outside a hotel providing refuge to asylum seekers, following a protest, in Knowsley, near Liverpool, Britain, Feb. 10, 2023. (Reuters/File)

• Far-right group Patriotic Alternative carries out leafleting campaign naming the hotel, carrying the slogan ‘You Pay. Migrants Stay’
• Claim that locals are recording movements of people in the park

DUBAI: Asylum seekers residing in Bedfordshire say they fear leaving the hotel housing them as locals have been filming them.
Hailing mostly from Yemen, Syria and Eritrea, those staying at the hotel in the Bedfordshire town of Dunstable have been the focus of protests by hundreds of local people, reported The Guardian on Friday.
Far-right group Patriotic Alternative has carried out a leafleting campaign naming the hotel, while carrying the slogan: “You Pay. Migrants Stay.”
One asylum seeker claimed that locals are filming guests residing at the hotel.
He was quoted as saying: “We thought in the UK we would have a better life, but nothing has changed.
“We don’t go outside most of the time. We are in a dangerous situation; we are at risk.”
John Gurney, a local councilor representing Dunstable Independents, who has opposed the recent arrival of asylum seekers at the hotel, said in a Facebook post that he had seen photos and videos of the guests at the hotel playing football, walking around outside, visiting a cafe and going to a park.
He added: “But to what end are the town’s genuine residents hanging around outside the hotel and taking photos of the people staying there? We can’t do anything about what’s happened.
“If you purposefully watch and follow the guests… and then post your photos and videos online, it’s possible that unless an actual crime has been recorded, the police may pursue you for harassment. So, please don’t follow and photograph other people.”
Patriotic Alternative conducted a leafleting campaign in Knowsley, Merseyside, earlier this month.
According to campaign group Hope Not Hate, which monitors far-right activity, Patriotic Alternative has coordinated with people in Skegness, Lincolnshire, to stage a demonstration in the town center on Saturday.
The organization has said another demonstration, billed as “Veterans Before Illegals,” organized by the former English Defense League activist Scott Pittsy, is also due to take place on the same day in the town.
It was widely reported earlier this month that four Afghan teenage asylum seekers had been arrested in Kent in connection with an alleged rape of a 15-year-old schoolgirl. However, police said that after investigating the alleged incident, no further action would be taken against the boys.
The asylum seekers staying at the hotel in Dunstable had previously lived in a hotel in Greenwich. When Home Office contractors informed them with little notice that they were being moved to the hotel in Dunstable, about 40 refused to leave. They have remained in the Greenwich hotel with the support of the local council.
Anthony Okereke, the leader of Greenwich Council, said: “The recent actions of the Home Office forcibly removing refugees living in our borough is deplorable.
“This raises significant concerns over the way the Home Office works with local authorities to ensure the safety and well-being of refugees and asylum seekers in our borough and beyond.”
Denise Scott-McDonald, Labour councilor for Greenwich Peninsula, said: “The removal of asylum seekers goes completely against our principles as a borough of refuge and sanctuary.
“That’s why we have been trying to meet and work with the Home Office to find an alternative solution.”