Solidarity Steve

First, let’s address the elephant in the room: these are not protests. A protest organised to change policy – in this case, the UK having a heart and offering housing and support to asylum seekers – wouldn’t be targeting hotels. It would be targeting policy-makers, not the powerless individuals receiving that support.

I’ve no doubt that not everyone at these so-called hotel protests is a fascist, but they are clearly part of a wider fascist strategy – and no amount of ‘concerned parents’ is going to disguise that fact.

So, what is the actual purpose of these protests? It’s not debate. It’s not democracy. It’s to intimidate and scare those inside – people who have already survived war, persecution and trauma.

What other aim can they possibly have, and what else could they hope to achieve?

Second, these so-called protests are built on fear and half-truths. The far-right scapegoating playbook is simple: paint asylum seekers as dangerous, and use that to frighten ‘concerned mums’ into providing a more palatable face for hate marches.

If any of this was born out of genuine concern, they’d be tackling all misogynistic and sex-based violence, not singling out one group because it fits their political narrative.

The very fact that they seek to make political capital out of rape is disgusting; this is not about genuine concern for the victims nor for the safety of those in communities, because they are not tackling the issue. This is about spreading a false and fearful narrative, in order to empower the politicians and forces spreading that narrative.

Finally, we need to call out the politics that fuel this – because it’s not just random neighbourhood concern. It’s a coordinated far-right campaign designed to splinter communities and spread fear.

When you go to a ‘protest’ outside a hotel, you are not protecting ‘your women and kids’. You’re sending a message that asylum seekers aren’t welcome, that they should be afraid, that they do not belong. That is not a protest. That is intimidation.

The more we feed into this politics of division, of fear and hate, the more we normalise it. This is not normal – and it has to stop, The problems in our society are not caused by powerless people coming here in boats, it is caused by powerful bankers and politicians in suits, and no amount of hate or intimidation is going to tackle that.