Riot police brace for more protests as nationwide day of anger sparks arrests

Thousands of riot police were braced for more protests today (SUN) following yesterday's so-called national day of action. More than 370 people were arrested in central London as around 700 people gathered to support the banned terror group Palestine Action on Saturday afternoon.

Hundreds more turned up across the country to vent their anger at the decision to place migrants and asylum seekers in comfortable hotels at a cost of £9 million a day to the taxpayer. Experts had long predicted the good summer weather would encourage the same conditions that triggered mass disorder last year.

"This wave of protests was very much predicted and anticipated," said a counter-terror source last night.

"People have concerns - some of them legitimate, some of them not legitimate - but it almost doesn't matter. They are angry because it doesn't feel like anybody is listening to them."

More than 3,000 riot police were placed on standby in a coordinated effort by national police chiefs to anticipate flashpoints across the country.

Resentment against so-called migrant hotels showed little sign of abating, with activist group The Great British National Protest claiming people joined demonstrations in more than 20 locations across the UK.

The biggest protest, however, was spurred not by hotel fury but rather the arrest of two men, reported to be Afghan asylum seekers, charged over the rape of a 12-year-old girl.

Hundreds of protesters marched through Nuneaton in Warwickshire carrying St George's Cross and Union flags while playing music, such as Rule Britannia, the national anthem and Sweet Caroline.

It followed the disclosure that Ahmad Mulakhil, 23, had been charged with rape, while Mohammad Kabir, 23, was charged with kidnap, strangulation, and aiding and abetting the rape of a girl under 13 after an alleged incident in Nuneaton.

A smaller group of anti-racism protesters chanted "Love not hate" and held placards that said "Stop the far right".

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and George Finch, head of Warwickshire County Council, claimed there had been a "cover-up" of details about the alleged rape.

Mr Finch, 19, who is Britain's youngest council leader, urged protesters to act in a "peaceful manner."

Chief Constable Alex Franklin-Smith, of Warwickshire Police, said his force "did not and will not" cover up alleged criminality and had followed national guidance.

In Bournemouth, Dorset, more than 250 people protested outside two controversial migrant hotels to demand they be shut down.

The anti-immigration protesters gathered directly outside the Roundhouse Hotel and yards away from the Britannia Hotel.

Both venues have been taken over by the Home Office for the exclusive use of male asylum seekers who have arrived in the UK on small boats.

Protesters blamed the residents of the hotels for turning Bournemouth into "a shadow of itself".

Some claimed they were to blame for a rise in crime in the seaside resort, including sexual assaults.

"The issue of migrant hotels in this country is going to explode into full-scale civil unrest, but maybe that is what is needed," said resident Jonathan Hines.

"The situation is out of control and is chaotic. We have a mish-mash of young men from different countries and cultures here in Bournemouth.

"They might be lovely and honest men, but it is too many and happening too quickly. People in Bournemouth are scared to go out in the town because they don't know the identity of illegal immigrants and where they are from."

In Newcastle, police made one arrest as 200 people gathered outside the New Bridge Hotel, which is said to house hundreds of asylum seekers.

Other locations included Bristol, where rival groups protested outside the Mercure Brigstow Hotel.

Posting on social media, Great British National Protest said: "This weekend will see huge numbers of patriots taking to the streets to make their voices heard.

"We are now seeing a genuine, organic, citizen-led response from people who have simply had enough."

Leader Richard Donaldson has previously called upon far-right leaders Tommy Robinson, Paul Golding and Nick Tenconi to "unite" and "stand as one" to "lock this country down for weeks."

In central London, police arrested more than 365 people openly expressing support for Palestine Action, which was proscribed as a terrorist organisation and banned last month.

Membership of, or support for, Palestine Action is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison under the Terrorism Act 2000.

There were a further seven arrests, five for assaults on officers.

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said the detained protesters were taken to prisoner processing points in the Westminster area, and those whose details could be confirmed were bailed, with conditions not to attend any further protests in support of Palestine Action.

Protesters sitting on the grass inside Parliament Square could be seen writing "I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action" on white placards, with most remaining silent.

Several demonstrators carrying placards that read "Palestine Action terrorises Britain while Hamas hides in hospitals, schools and mosques," briefly walked along the crowd before being led away by police officers.

One person was also arrested at a separate Palestine coalition march, which set off from Russell Square heading to Whitehall via Aldwych and the Strand.

Earlier this week, the first three people to be charged with supporting Palestine Action in England and Wales were named.

Jeremy Shippam, 71, Judit Murray, 71 and Fiona Maclean, 53, have all been charged with displaying an article in a public place, arousing reasonable suspicion that they are a supporter of a proscribed organisation after their attendance at a demonstration last month.

Hundreds of people have been arrested in the wave of Defend Our Juries protests across the UK since the ban was implemented by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper last month.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "The Home Secretary has been clear that the proscription of Palestine Action is not about Palestine, nor does it affect the freedom to protest on Palestinian rights.

"It only applies to the specific and narrow organisation whose activities do not reflect or represent the thousands of people across the country who continue to exercise their fundamental rights to protest on different issues.

"Freedom to protest is a cornerstone of our democracy and we protect it fiercely."