UK POLICE USE DISPERSAL POWERS AS 50 ANTI-IMMIGRATION MARCHERS TARGET BRISTOL ASYLUM HOTEL; 250 COUNTER PROTESTERS

About 50 anti-immigration protesters were outnumbered by roughly 250 counter-protesters in Bristol as police imposed a dispersal zone around an asylum hotel. Avon and Somerset Police used Section 34/35 powers to keep groups apart and prevent disorder, blocking roads during tense standoffs. No plans were announced by Bristol City Council to challenge the use of hotels for asylum accommodation. The incident aligns with a recent UK-wide cluster of demonstrations at asylum hotels drawing significant policing responses.