A violent confrontation erupted outside the Holiday Inn Express in UK’s Rotherham on Saturday, as far-right protesters clashed with police and vandalized the hotel, which has been accommodating asylum seekers, international media reported.
The turmoil followed earlier demonstrations by both anti-racist and anti-immigration groups. The situation escalated when masked far-right demonstrators began attacking the hotel, throwing glass bottles and wooden fence panels at riot police stationed outside. A fire was ignited near the hotel entrance, and footage circulated on social media showed one protester breaking a glass fire exit door.
The protests intensified as several windows of the hotel were shattered. Riot officers, wearing helmets and shields, attempted to contain the situation, but the crowd continued to throw objects at the building. Demonstrators rocked a police van, and chanted “Get them out” and “Yorkshire.”
Earlier in the day, about 100 anti-racist protesters had gathered near the hotel. They were soon escorted away by police after being surrounded by far-right demonstrators.
BBC described the atmosphere as “hostile,” noting that a “police line had separated the two groups, but the anti-racist protesters were moved a safe distance away as they were significantly outnumbered.”
Guests at the hotel looked on from their windows, appearing “bemused” by the chaos unfolding below. Meanwhile, protesters cheered as they shattered hotel windows and moved around the building.
In Sheffield, a counter-demonstration by anti-racist activists drew a large crowd, who chanted slogans like “Nazi scum off our streets” and “Refugees are welcome here.” The Sheffield event was largely peaceful.
The disturbances in Rotherham are part of a broader wave of unrest across the UK. On Saturday, far-right demonstrations in cities including Liverpool, Manchester, Belfast, and Hull led to over 100 arrests, highlighting the increasing tensions and polarization around the issue of immigration.
The demonstrations erupted after a stabbing attack at a Taylor Swift-themed event at a dance school in a seaside town in northwest England, which resulted in the deaths of three children and injuries to eight others.