UK Asylum Hotels Under Siege: Fear Inside, Protests Outside

Asylum seekers living in hotels across the UK say they are in a 'state of constant anxiety' as protests intensify outside accommodation sites amid record asylum claims and mounting political pressure.

Voices From Inside the Hotels

For many of those housed in temporary accommodation, the demonstrations have turned daily life into a struggle with fear and uncertainty.

'The protests really scare me. Each of us is very afraid to leave,' said John, not his real name, who has lived in a Surrey hotel since fleeing persecution in Tanzania. He has been waiting more than three years for his asylum claim to be processed.

Children are especially anxious, he added, and even reading about the protests online makes him reluctant to step outside.

'We are here for peace and to establish normal lives. Most of us are ordinary people ready to work hard,' John told the BBC.

We Are Not Your Enemy

Maryam, a South Asian woman living in a Sussex hotel, said the hostile atmosphere re-triggered past trauma. She described feeling unsafe inside the accommodation after staff entered her room without permission.

'There is systematic racial abuse. Your rights are not respected,' she said.

Others echoed concerns over cramped conditions, damp rooms, and poor food. Samia, another asylum seeker from Tanzania, said protests nearby left her feeling 'invisible' and 'isolated.' 'Sometimes I feel like my life is on pause,' she said. 'We are not your enemy.'

Asylum seekers currently receive a small weekly allowance of £49.18, or £9.95 in hotels where meals are provided.

Many argue that being housed in communities instead of hotels would ease integration and reduce tension.

Protests and Legal Battles

Protests against asylum hotels have escalated over the long weekend, with demonstrations spreading nationwide on 24–25 August 2025 under the banner 'Abolish Asylum System.'

The unrest coincided with a record 111,084 asylum applications filed in the year to June. Demonstrations have been staged outside hotels in Epping, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Liverpool, and Canary Wharf.

In Epping, Essex, anger escalated after the High Court granted the district council an injunction on 19 August preventing new asylum seekers from being placed at The Bell Hotel. The ruling followed the arrest of a resident charged with assaulting a teenager.

The Home Office has vowed to appeal, warning that similar cases could undermine its legal duty to house more than 32,000 asylum seekers currently in hotels.

Tensions flared further in Liverpool, where 11 people were arrested during a UKIP-backed protest.

Counter-protesters, including Stand Up to Racism, mobilised in several cities to defend asylum seekers and challenge anti-immigration rhetoric.

Police deployed mounted units in Bristol and Horley to keep rival groups apart.

36% Back Asylum Protests

The asylum hotel system has become a lightning rod in British politics. The Home Office spent £3.8 billion on asylum accommodation in 2024, largely on hotels, while small-boat arrivals in 2025 reached 27,000.

Critics argue resources are being diverted from local housing needs, while far-right groups have seized on high-profile cases to inflame tensions.

According to Ipsos polling, immigration has now overtaken the economy as the top public concern. Public opinion remains sharply divided: 36% support the protests, while 39% oppose them.

Nigel Farage's Reform UK party has capitalised on the unrest, calling for mass deportations and withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights.

Farage himself criticized Robert Jenrick, claiming he increased illegal migrants in UK hotels to 56,000 as immigration minister, labeling him 'no friend of Epping.' The statement, posted on X, fuels immigration debate ahead of local elections.

The government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer insists it has returned more than 5,300 foreign offenders since mid-2024, while Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has promised reforms to accelerate deportations and reduce hotel reliance.

Government's Reform Plan

Cooper announced on Sunday a new fast-track appeals system to cut through a backlog of 106,000 asylum cases, including 51,000 appeals that take more than a year on average. An independent panel will replace slow judicial hearings, with the goal of reducing hotel use and processing claims more swiftly.

The Home Office says it has already reduced the initial decision backlog by 24% since July 2024, and asylum hotels have been cut from more than 400 in 2023 to under 210 today. Yet campaigners warn that without community-based housing and faster work rights for asylum seekers, tensions will continue.

Fear, Misinformation, and the Road Ahead

For asylum seekers inside the hotels, the protests and legal battles feel far removed from their daily reality of fear and uncertainty.

Many say they simply want to work, move out of hotels, and build safe lives in the UK.

'We left everything behind to be safe,' said Samia. 'People protest because they think we came for benefits. It is not true. Most of us came because our lives were in danger.'

As misinformation circulates online and protests grow louder, the government faces a delicate balancing act: honouring legal obligations to protect asylum seekers while addressing public anger and preventing unrest from spiralling further.