Overview

• Dozens of Abolish Asylum System protests and Stand Up To Racism counter‑protests took place across England, Scotland and Wales, including Bristol, Newcastle, Horley, Aberdeen, Perth and Mold.
• Mounted officers separated rival groups in Bristol, where police scuffled with demonstrators and later set a dispersal zone in place until 7am Sunday.
• Police reported arrests including a 37-year-old detained on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker in Bristol and 11 arrests in Liverpool for offences such as assault and affray.
• The High Court’s order to clear asylum seekers from Epping’s Bell Hotel by 12 September remains in force as the government seeks to appeal, with other councils weighing similar legal action.
• The protests come as government figures show more than 32,000 asylum seekers are in hotels, refugee charities report people feeling intimidated at sites, and Nigel Farage promotes plans for mass deportations.