Five arrested after masked men 'attempt to storm' London hotel at anti-asylum protest

The men were part of two anti-asylum protest groups that marched to the Crowne Plaza near Heathrow Airport on Saturday afternoon.

They attempted to enter the building through the rear entrance and damaged security fences, the Metropolitan Police said.

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Other protesters moved towards the nearby Novotel on Cherry Lane and a Holiday Inn, while officers enforced cordons in the area to prevent a breach of the peace.

Two officers suffered minor injuries and five arrests were made, the force added. It is unclear if any of the masked men were arrested.

Demonstrations against the use of hotels to house asylum seekers continued across the UK this weekend after the Government won its bid to block the closure of the hotel that found itself at the centre of protests.

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A Section 35 dispersal order has been put in place, allowing officers to direct people to leave the area and not return if they suspect they may cause disorder, police said.

Elsewhere in Scotland, angry activists who descended on a hotel housing asylum seekers in Falkirk on Saturday were met by hundreds of counter-protesters.

Both sides engaged in personal abuse and hurling threats and police separated both groups behind barriers.

Commander Adam Slonecki, in charge of policing London this weekend, said: "Around 500 protesters were in the area, but most people have now dispersed from the immediate vicinity. However, further arrests will be made if we need to tackle disorder."

Essex Police are preparing for a planned protest in Epping on Saturday evening and have put in place a Section 60AA order giving officers the power to order the removal of face coverings and a dispersal order.

The dispersal order, which covers the main high street and the area surrounding the Bell Hotel, where 138 asylum seekers are currently housed, will be in place until 4am on Sunday.

The Section 60AA order will run for 24 hours, police said.

It comes after three men were arrested and two charged following a protest on Friday in the Essex town where two police officers were injured.

Ross Ellis, 49, of Orchard Croft, Harlow, has been charged with failing to provide a specimen and Jimmy Hillard, 52, of Chequers Road, Loughton, has been charged with assaulting an emergency worker.

Assistant chief constable Glen Pavelin, of Essex Police, said: "We've consistently said we will always seek to facilitate lawful protest, but that does not include a right to commit crime, and we'll take a firm approach to anyone intent on doing that.

"The strength of feeling in Epping is not lost on me - or anyone in Essex Police - and I would urge anyone who wants to make their voices heard to please do that peacefully."

Elsewhere, police said demonstrations in Northamptonshire on Saturday, where around 50 pro-immigration and 100 anti-immigration protesters had gathered outside a hotel, had been peaceful and no arrests had been made.

In Swindon, police said protests near a hotel had also been peaceful.