Overview

• An open letter signed by cultural figures and MPs, including Paloma Faith, Charlotte Church, Anoushka Shankar, Diane Abbott, Zarah Sultana and Ellie Chowns, denounces attempts to tie sexual abuse to asylum seekers.
• Coordinated by Stand Up to Racism under the banner “Women Against the Far Right,” the letter says there is no evidence people seeking refuge are more likely to commit sexual violence.
• It accuses far-right groups of spreading misinformation to spur protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers, warning that such agitation does not make women safer.
• The intervention rebukes claims by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick, with Farage’s figures on foreign-born offenders disputed by Office for National Statistics data.
• Signatories pledge to back a counter-gathering later this month against a London demonstration promoted by Tommy Robinson, as protests at Epping’s Bell Hotel continue and the linked case was adjourned to 4 September.