Well, it was early this week that a
judge ruled that the Bell Hotel in Eping
uh would have to move asylum seekers out
within weeks because it hadn't applied
for the planning permission to use the
hotel for that specific purpose and
because of the impact that would have uh
that had had on uh local residents. Now
it was a victory for the council, a
nightmare for the home office which is
now worrying that it's set a precedent
that it might trigger a wave of protests
and of cases and ultimately make its
legal obligation to house asylum seekers
very difficult uh in uh deed. Now the
home office wasn't allowed to make its
case in court and we learned today that
it's appealing that decision. Uh if that
is then successful uh it can appeal the
ruling and that would mean the Bell
Hotel could continue to house asylum
seekers and would stop other uh councils
following suit. Now, here's the Home
Office Minister Dan Jarvis speaking
earlier.
>> This government will close all asylum
hotels, and we will clear up the mess
that we inherited from the previous
government. We've made a commitment that
we will close all of the asylum hotels
by the end of this parliament. But we
need to do that in a managed and ordered
way, and that's why we'll appeal this
decision.
>> Now, the government has said it has to
do this in an orderly way because it
doesn't want to create problems in other
areas. Nevertheless, the Conservative
leader Kami Benedo, who's called for
asylum seekers to be held in camps, has
said that she will support all
Conservative councils to launch cases
against the use of asylum hotels.
>> And Amelia, does that include the one
that you're in right now?
>> Yes, I'm outside of Hotel Housing asylum
seekers in Chester in uh Broxborn, one
of the first councils to take up the
Gauntlet. And earlier there were around
200 people here. uh they were singing
rule Britannia, chanting save our kids
and send them back. Now I've had it
confirmed by several sources uh that the
majority of the people staying in that
hotel are families. There are lots of
children also. And earlier I spoke to uh
the council leader here, the
conservative council leader. She told me
she was doing everything she could in
her power to launch a case against the
use of this hotel. But she said she was
concerned there might be a misconception
uh that some of the disorder we saw in
Eping had an impact on that judgment.
something the government will be worried
about too. There have been calls for
more protests outside uh hotels housing
asylum seekers this weekend and Channel
4 News has learned that there will be at
least 20 across the country. Amelia,
thank you very much Amelia in Chessant
there. Well, of course, it's a daunting
task for police to keep order during
such a widespread number of protests. Uh
well, joining me now, the former North
Umbrea Police Chief, Sue Sim. Sue, you
must be glad that you're not working
this weekend. You've got Notting Hill
Carnival, uh, Reading Festival, you've
also got all of these protests. How will
police chiefs be planning at the moment?
>> Well, good evening, Asia. The the issue
is that the British Police Service has a
wonderful public order capability.
All of these events
have been planned for. Certainly, the
Notting Hill Carnival, it's an annual
event. the Metropolitan will have
planned for that as with the the leads
festival that's going on. Significant
other um issues all all around the
country. They've all been pre-planned.
The issue that is more difficult for the
police chiefs is when they have protests
starting. For example, at any given
asylum hotel, if a group of people
attended and wanted to protest, as is
their right against um something that
they don't believe in, they do have a
right to protest. That's when it gets
more difficult for for the police
chiefs. But when you have an asylum
hotel and it is purely the local
community who are expressing their
discontent that should be policed by
neighborhood policing officers, there's
no need for public order um officers in
riot gear for something that's a
peaceful protest.
If we just had a moment off air where um
protesters were actually starting to go
on a march and doing all of these things
that are unauthorized and unplanned,
what should police officers on the
ground do then?
>> When u a march is taking place, they
should have been um informed. The police
chiefs should have been informed if a
march is taking place.
>> Yeah. But what if they're not and things
change? That's what I wonder.
>> Stop that happening. they can stop that
because it isn't an authorized protest.
>> And just you'll be aware of accusations
of two-tier policing, two-tier justice,
that justice isn't applied fairly to
certain groups. These statements have
been made by politicians. Will police
chiefs have that in their minds when
they're directing officers about how to
deal with all this?
>> Policing has to be fair. It has to be
objective. Both sides are well capable
of expressing their views. The police
literally stay in the middle to make
sure that there are no laws broken. You
have every right to protest peacefully.
If you go to a protest looking for
trouble, if you break the law, you will
be arrested. If you're going to protest
peacefully and have your say, you are
well entitled to do that. If you go
looking for trouble, if you go to break
the law, you will be arrested. Stay
away.
>> And Sue, there are groups that of course
benefit from when things kick off, when
they do get violent. Do you have a sense
or an instinct of what things could get
like this weekend? Are you nervous for
police chiefs across the country right
now?
I'm never nervous for my colleagues
because policing is well capable of
looking after the people within our
country. We're a democracy. We police by
consent. Policing will have no problems.
Yes, there are always incidents that
happen. There are always things that the
police have to re react to, but my
colleagues are well capable of dealing
with anything that occurs. Sue, thank
you very much for your time this
evening.