More than 50 refugee organizations have united to urge the Home Secretary to implement immediate protections for asylum seekers housed in hotels, following a series of violent far-right attacks.

These assaults have raised serious concerns about the safety of vulnerable individuals who sought refuge in the United Kingdom.

Earlier this month, several hotels accommodating asylum seekers were targeted by aggressive mobs, including incidents in Hull and Tamworth.

One of the most disturbing attacks occurred at a Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham, where the violence escalated to arson, leaving parts of the building severely damaged. The brutality of this event has sparked widespread outrage and calls for swift government action.

The letter, addressed to Yvette Cooper, was spearheaded by Conversation Over Borders and has garnered 54 signatures from different organizations.

Among the signatories are prominent national NGOs like Care4Calais and Asylum Matters, as well as smaller regional and local groups. Together, they are demanding that the Home Office establish clear evacuation protocols for hotels housing asylum seekers to prevent further harm.

Calls To End Hotel Use Intensify

One of the core demands in the letter is the cessation of hotel use for asylum accommodation. Instead, the groups advocate for integrating asylum seekers into communities where they can receive the support and safety they need.

This plea comes in the wake of questions about why those staying at the Rotherham Hotel were not better protected, particularly given that the hotel had been previously targeted by far-right groups on February 18, 2023. This attack occurred just a week after violent riots outside the Suites hotel in Knowsley.

Disturbingly, the far-right activists had openly planned their demonstration on social media, with some even advertising the event, including organizer Connor McAllister, who posted about the protest.

Despite these warning signs, the protection measures in place appeared insufficient.

As the attack unfolded, the hotel staff, managed by Home Office accommodation contractor Mears, were evacuated from the premises hours before the asylum seekers.

A spokesperson for Mears explained, “Our safety and security protocols for accommodation sites include escalation to the police where appropriate.”

“The police made the decision that only essential staff should remain on-site, in order to minimize the number of people they had to protect, and other staff were required to leave. A team of seven staff remained in the hotel throughout to support service users and coordinate with the police.”
Spokesperson for Mears

However, concerns remain about the evacuation process, particularly regarding the most vulnerable asylum seekers, including those with disabilities and trauma-related conditions. Despite their needs, there was no apparent plan to prioritize their evacuation during the attack.

Adding to the chaos, some asylum seekers reported that they had to extinguish fires themselves. When they were eventually evacuated, they spent several hours stranded on the hard shoulder of a motorway, uncertain of their next destination as they awaited a decision from the Home Office.

An 18-year-old asylum seeker from Sudan described the ordeal as “horrifying,” adding, “I have never encountered anything like this since I came to the UK.”

“After the attack started, we didn’t see any of the hotel staff. We were confused. We were told to lock ourselves in our rooms and stay away from the windows, but we saw what was happening outside from reflections in a large mirror in our bedroom. We saw far-right people beating the police and we thought they were going to kill us.”
Another asylum seeker from Afghanistan

The aftermath of the attack has left many asylum seekers traumatized, further highlighting the unsuitability of hotels as temporary accommodation.