Violent clashes outside refugee hotel after hundreds of protesters gather
Two people have been arrested on suspicion of assault after clashes erupted outside a hotel that houses refugees in Cornwall.
Around 20 demonstrators held signs with phrases like ‘Stop immigration now’ and ‘Close migrant hotels’ outside the Beresford Hotel in Newquay on Sunday.
But they were soon outnumbered by 150 counter-protesters who declared asylum seekers welcome in Britain.
These crowd members fought back with placards reading ‘Cornwall has no place for racists but we welcome refugees’ and ‘UK government must provide safe passage for refugees’.
Footage from the scene showed groups of police officers holding back protesters as violence broke out.
Alongside the two taken into custody, two others were issued with dispersal anti-social behaviour notices – although police said the majority of people acted peacefully.
It comes after police moved to shut down rumours that a man staying at the Beresford Hotel had been charged with sexual assault.
A man has been charged with raping a woman on a local beach – but any suggestion that he is linked with the hotel is ‘categorically untrue’ and will only fuel community tension, a statement said.
Cornwall police commander, Chief Supt Ben Deer, said last week: ‘There has been a number of speculative social media posts suggesting the man charged in relation to this offence was a resident at the Beresford Hotel in Newquay which is currently housing asylum seekers in the town.
‘This has led to further posts which have suggested that women and children in the town are at risk from attack by those asylum seekers living at the hotel.
‘I would like to put on record that this is categorically untrue and the individual charged with the offence is not a resident at the Beresford Hotel.
‘Comments suggesting offences are being committed by those staying at the hotel are untrue and unnecessarily raising community tension.’
Speaking before the protest at the weekend, Chief Supt Deer asked people to ‘think about their comments and actions and the unhelpful rumour, myth and speculation this builds’.
The issue of immigration has been highly divisive in Newquay and Sunday’s demonstration followed one on Saturday.
Another in February also saw supporters and opponents of asylum seekers line the streets.
At the time, Chief Supt Deer said the incident had ‘caused significant concern in the community’.
‘My officers and staff have been making efforts to increase visibility in order to ensure residents and visitors to Newquay feel safe and secure’, he said.
He added that ‘if proactive policing is required to safeguard the Newquay community’, this would be addressed.
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