2025 British anti-immigration protests

2025 British anti-immigration protests
Date	13 July 2025 – present
Location	Various places in the United Kingdom[a]
Caused by	Anti-immigration sentiment
Methods	protest
Parties
Anti-immigration protesters Local residents Britain First Government of the United Kingdom Various police forces[b] Counter-protesters Stand Up To Racism
Casualties and losses
55 arrested[c] 9 officers injured[d] Multiple vehicles damaged
Map of disorder and protests 170km 106miles 🌍   Disorder   Protests

Since 13 July 2025, protests against immigration have taken place in parts of the United Kingdom, some of which have led to disorder. At least nine police officers have been injured and 55 people have been arrested.

The first protests and disorder took place in Epping following the arrest of an Ethiopian asylum seeker for three sexual assaults; he had arrived in the UK only eight days prior and was being housed in a local hotel. Protests later spread to a number of locations, including Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and areas of London including Canary Wharf and Islington.

These protests are the most recent in a series which have previously led to riots, most notably in 2024 when over 1,800 people were arrested and over 300 police officers injured. Earlier in the year, a series of riots took place in Northern Ireland which saw over 100 police officers being injured.

In recent years, anti-immigration sentiment has grown in the United Kingdom, with many locals being increasingly frustrated at the response of the government to rising levels of illegal immigration. This frustration has reached a tipping point a number of times, most notably in 2024 when widespread riots led to over 1,800 arrests,^[1] with over 300 police officers being injured.^[2]

The spate of riots in 2024 followed a mass stabbing in which three children were killed and ten others injured. Soon after the attack, misinformation was spread online which incorrectly claimed that the attacker was an asylum seeker and a Muslim. These claims were spread by number of high-profile accounts on social media including Tommy Robinson, whilst a number of far-right activists called for nationwide protests.^[3] Along with pre-existing Islamophobic and racist attitudes, disorder spread across the country and led to attacks against Asian, Black and Muslim people as well as mosques, shops and community buildings such as libraries.^[4]

More recently, a series of riots in Northern Ireland in June led to over 50 arrests, with more than 100 police officers being injured.^[5] They were triggered by the alleged sexual assault of a girl in Ballymena by two teenagers who appeared in court with a Romanian interpreter; a month later, it was estimated that two-thirds of the Roma residents in the town had left.^[6]

On 7 and 8 July, a 41-year-old Ethiopian asylum seeker allegedly committed three sexual assaults in Epping, only eight days after arriving in the UK by boat on 29 June. He was remanded in custody after appearing at Colchester Magistrates' Court on 10 July, where he denied three charges of sexual assault and charges of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity and harassment without violence.^[7] He appeared in court again on 17 July for a case management hearing, where he was told he would face a two-day trial from 26 August.^[8]

The first protest took place outside the Bell Hotel in Epping on 13 July; the hotel was being used to house migrants by the Home Office, who had faced calls from Neil Hudson, MP for Epping Forest, Alex Burghart, MP for Brentwood and Ongar and Chris Whitbread, leader of Epping Forest District Council, to close the hotel. During the protest, two security personnel at the hotel were left with serious injuries after being attacked by group of men.^[9]

A second protest took place at the hotel in Epping on 17 July, attracting hundreds of demonstrators who were mostly local residents, although they were joined by some far-right activists, some of whom donned Britain First T-shirts. A separate counter-protest which included demonstrators from Stand Up To Racism (SUTR) took place outside Epping tube station, however they later converged with the initial protest at the hotel which had been peaceful until that point. Disorder then ensued as clashes occured with the counter-protesters, with riot police surrounding the small group of them as bottles, eggs and flour were thrown at them; the town's High Street was blocked off for many hours as police were directly attacked, with many of their vehicles being vandalised.^[10] The hotel itself was also damaged and the assistant chief constable of Essex Police said eight officers had suffered minor injuries, whilst two people had been arrested following the protest.^[11] A third person was arrested in connection to the disorder on 19 July and was charged with violent disorder and criminal damage.^[12] The police force was later accused of "bussing" counter-protesters to the hotel, leading to Nigel Farage calling for the chief constable to resign; a police spokesman said the claims were "categorically wrong" but said officers had provided a foot cordon around protesters on their way to the protest..^[13]

The next protest took place at the same location on 20 July and was attended by over 1,000 people. Disorder also took place during this protest, with six people being arrested after what was described as "mindless thuggery" by the chief superintendent of Essex Police. Bottles and smoke flares were thrown at police vehicles and officers from Norfolk and Suffolk were drafted in; one officer from the former was hospitalised after being struck in the face by a bottle.^[14] Essex Police later said the cost of policing the protests on 17 and 20 July had exceeded £100,000.^[15]

On 21 June, protesters gathered outside a hotel housing asylum-seeking families in Diss, Norfolk, which the Home Office planned to change to house males. Initially, there were 60 protesters and 30 counter-protesters on opposing sides of a road, however after a confrontation the counter-protesters moved elsewhere.^[16] The number of protesters grew to around 150 and two people were arrested in connection to the protest later in the week.^[17]

On 22 June, a protest took place outside a four-star hotel in Canary Wharf, which Tower Hamlets Council said was going to be used as temporary accomodation for asylum seekers. Apsana Begum, MP for Poplar and Limehouse, said "refugees are welcome here", whilst Lee Anderson, the Chief Whip of Reform UK, expressed his disapproval online and said he was "absolutely furious" in a video taken outside the hotel.^[18] A second protest took place the following day, where anti-migrant protesters and counter-protesters shouted at each other from across the street as police guarded the hotel.^[19]

On 24 July, a fourth protest took place at the Bell Hotel in Epping, with another protest taking place simultaneously at Epping Civic Offices, where a meeting regarding the hotel was taking place. Unlike the two previous protests, there was no disorder and only one person was arrested for refusing to remove a face covering, which police said was the 17th arrest in total. The council meeting concluded with a unanimous vote to urge the government to close the hotel.^[20]

On 25 July, one person was arrested and charged in Leeds for obstructing a police officer during a peaceful protest at a hotel in Seacroft.^[21] An estimated 300 anti-immigration protesters gathered in Sutton-in-Ashfield following the arrest of a man for the rape of a woman. Lee Anderson, whose constituency, Ashfield, was where the rape took place, claimed online that the suspect was an asylum seeker. The protesters gathered in the town centre, with a much smaller number of counter-protesters gathering at a nearby church.^[22]

On 26 July, around 400 anti-immigration protesters gathered outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Norwich, with around 150 counter-protesters also in attendance. Around 60 police officers were also at the scene, however the protest passed without incident and the force said no arrests were made.^[23]

On 27 July, more protests took place in Epping with a large number of counter-protesters attending. There were between 300 and 400 anti-migrant protesters, however they were outnumbered by an estimated 2,000 counter-protesters who made their way from the train station to the hotel. Essex Police described the protest as peaceful but added that three people were arrested; officers from the Cheshire, Durham, Dyfed-Powys, Hampshire, Kent, Leicestershire, Metropolitan, Northamptonshire, Surrey, Sussex and West Midlands forces were at the scene, with the British Transport Police also assisting.^[24]

On 29 July, a peaceful protest took place in Hoylake after it was reported that the home officed planned to change the residents of a hotel from asylum-seeking families to single males. Wirral Council said they "strongly opposed" the plans and residents described their frustration over the lack of communication with the local community.^[25]

On 30 July, over 1,000 anti-immigration protesters gathered in Waterlooville in opposition to plans to house asylum seekers in flats above shops. The protesters were supported by Suella Braverman, MP for Fareham and Waterlooville and former Home Secretary, who said the plans were "utterly inappropriate" and that she was "very proud" of protesters.^[26] The plans were dropped on 8 August following the protest and a petition by Braverman which received over 10,000 signatures.^[27]

On 31 July, another protest took place outside the Bell Hotel in Epping and passed peacefully with a march facilitated by police. Essex Police said that a total of 23 people had been arrested in connection with the earlier protests, 14 of whom had been charged.^[28] A man was arrested during a third day of protests in Hoylake for supporting a preoscribed terrorist organisation, although police said the offence took place outside the area.^[29] A protest also took place at a hotel in Stanwell after the Home Office revealed plans to exclusively house male asylum seekers there rather than the families which were currently being housed there. Over 100 protesters were in attendance and there were reports of anti-social behaviour and criminal damage; the following day it was announced that the plans had been paused.^[30]

On 1 August, there was a protest at a hotel housing asylum seekers in Portsmouth following an alleged incident with one of its residents; it was attended by both anti-migrant and anti-racism demonstrators.^[31]

On 2 August, a total of 15 people were arrested in London, Manchester and Newcastle upon Tyne following clashes amid protests at hotels housing asylum seekers. In London, protesters gathered at a hotel in Islington, with counter-protesters from SUTR also in attendance; police said nine people were arrested. In Newcastle, protesters and counter-protesters gathered at a hotel, with Northumbria Police saying four people were arrested there. In Manchester, around 1,500 people took place in a march organised by Britain First, with around 250 counter-protesters from SUTR; two people were arrested at the start of the march, which tracked from Manchester Piccadilly station to Manchester Central Library.^[32]

On 3 August, a further protest in Epping passed peacefully, with police arresting and charging two more people in connection to the disorder on 17 July, bringing the total to 25 arrested and 16 charged.^[33] Another protest took place at the Britannia International Hotel in Canary Wharf and flares were set off, with protesters being accused of trying to break into the hotel as they attempted to breach the fencing; one man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker.^[34] Merseyside Police said they had arrested a further three people for public order offences following protests in Hoylake earlier that week.^[35]

On 8 August, police arrested two people at another protest in Epping, one of whom was arrested after an officer was struck by an object; despite this, police said the protest passed peacefully. These arrests brought the total in Epping to 27.^[36] A SUTR protest took place at the hotel in Canary Wharf, with an anti-migrant counter-protest also in attendance; both sides had around 100 demonstrators and two people were arrested: one from each side.^[37] A protest outside a hotel in Altrincham attracted hundreds of opposing protesters, who were separated by the dual carriageway of the A56 road, the central reservation of which was lined with police; at least two assaults were reported to police during the protest.^[38]

A protest at a hotel in Norwich attracted around 300 protesters, with 80 counter-protesters also attending.^[39] Another protest took place in Hoylake, with around 100 protesters and 50 counter-protesters taking part.^[40] Around 100 protesters gathered outside a hotel in Chichester, which had been used to house migrants for around two years.^[41] Groups of anti-migrant and anti-racist protesters gathered at a hotel near Cardiff Airport in Rhoose which was housing Afghan families.^[42]

On 9 August, another protest took place near a hotel housing asylum seekers in Newcastle, where one person was arrested for a public order offence.^[43] Two groups of protesters faced off at a hotel in Liverpool, with some counter-protesters shouting "nazi" at people on the anti-migrant side.^[44] A protest took place outside a hotel near Exeter Airport which was housing asylum seekers, with counter-protesters also in attendance.^[45] Around 100 anti-immigration protesters and 300-400 counter-protesters gathered in outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Bristol.^[46] A protest in Bournemouth attracted 200 anti-immigration protesters and 100 counter-protesters, with Dorset Police receiving support from Surrey, Sussex and Wiltshire as they separated the opposing groups.^[47]

A protest took place in Nuneaton after George Finch, the leader of Warwickshire County Council, claimed that two men charged with the rape of a 12-year-old girl were asylum seekers.^[48] During the protest, which was organised by the Homeland Party, one person was arrested for threatening to cause criminal damage. Hundreds of people gathered outside Nuneaton Town Hall, with a smaller group of counter-protesters being outnumbered and led away by police after a few hours.^[49] Protesters gathered outside the Ramada hotel in Solihull and marhced from the police station to the town centre, with the Touchwood shopping centre closing following police advice.^[50]

On 10 August, a protest took place outside a hotel in Copthorne near Gatwick Airport.^[51] Another protest in Epping attracted over 150 protesters.^[52]

On 16 August, anti-immigration protesters gathered at a hotel in Falkirk and faced off with anti-racism protesters; Police Scotland said one person was arrested.^[53]

On 17 August, a protest against using hotels to house asylum seekers attracted around 200 demonstrators in Dudley, with a small group of counter-protesters also in attendance.^[54]