Police in Hampshire Seek Information Following Protest at Unauthorized Immigrant Accommodation
Around 200 people gathered for a demonstration outside the Potters International Hotel in Aldershot on Wednesday.
Police are seeking information to identify eight protesters involved in throwing missiles and verbal racial abuse at a demonstration outside a hotel housing illegal immigrants in Aldershot, Hampshire on Thursday.
Hampshire Police reported that a small group of the 200 individuals outside the Potters International Hotel caused disturbance on Wednesday night.
They are urging witnesses to come forward, stating, “Unfortunately, around 6.45pm, a minority of the 200 participants engaged in criminal activities, throwing objects, and directing racial abuse towards others.
“Our officers promptly responded and dispersed the group swiftly.
“Regrettably, one of our officers sustained a minor injury due to the disruption.
“We have launched a thorough investigation to identify the culprits, including analyzing evidence from body-worn cameras of our officers, footage from National Police Air Service colleagues, and CCTV cameras in the vicinity.
Related Stories
“This investigation, along with witness testimonies and community engagement, is ongoing.”
Assistant Chief Constable Paul Bartolomeo stated, “Our duty is to protect the lawful right to protest while preventing serious disorder and disruption to the local community as occurred last night.
“It is unacceptable to transform this lawful right into criminal actions such as criminal damage, racial abuse, and intimidation. These actions will not be tolerated in Hampshire and Isle of Wight.
“Our specialized teams are working diligently to identify individuals responsible for criminal offenses, and we will take prompt and decisive action against those individuals.”
Alex Baker, Labour MP for Aldershot, suggested that individuals from outside the community exacerbated the situation.
In a social media post, she wrote, “Disorderly conduct has no justification, and these incidents do not reflect the true spirit of Aldereshot and Farnborough.
“While we support the right to protest peacefully, we will not tolerate troublemakers coming to our towns and dividing our community.”
Reports indicate that the hotel has been used to shelter illegal immigrants since 2022, and attempting to book a room online for the rest of 2024 shows no availability at the establishment.
No reviews from hotel guests in the past two years were found either.
The new Labour government has committed to ending the practice of using hotels to house immigrants but did not specify a timeframe for when the policy will officially cease.
The Epoch Times has reached out to the Home Office for a statement.
Hampshire Police has not directly linked the protest to the incident in Southport, where three girls were murdered, leading to protests and unrest in various parts of England on Wednesday night.
Starmer Promises Clampdown
In London, over 100 individuals were arrested as protesters on Whitehall threw beer cans and bottles at police and set off flares in Parliament Square.
In Hartlepool, demonstrators set a police car on fire and threw objects at officers, resulting in the arrest of 12 people, including an 11-year-old boy.
Manchester also experienced unrest as a group confronted officers by throwing bottles.
This unrest led to a press conference by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on Thursday, where he pledged to tackle the “far right.”
PA Media contributed to this report.
