Anti-asylum seekers demonstration from 6pm on Friday 25/7/25 – outside the Highfield House Hotel

Also, a counter demonstration. Police in attendance.

Some comments from someone who experienced the demonstration where they felt better management was required:

• very slow moving traffic at the junction of Shaftesbury Avenue and Highfield Lane with people in the road outside the hotel and traffic being impeded. Anyone with a pushchair, a wheelchair or other form of mobility impairment would not have found it easy to cross the road at that point;
• Highfield Lane is a busy and a major route for emergency vehicles and ambulances and should be kept open/accessible and the traffic kept flowing;
• demonstrators on the pavement and the police did not appear to have sufficient control to keep them off the pavement or direct them to the other side of the road where there are better sightlines for traffic, no road junctions with sightlines to be blocked, and to barrier both ends of the demo, so no-one could walk through the throng;
• why did the police van with extra officers apparently only arrive later?
• line of police between demonstrators and a small group of counter protestors on the far side going up towards the church;
• uniformed officer on the Highfield side of the people on the pavement told them the police had been notified of this demonstration;
• apparently drunk demonstrators being served in Ceno. The demonstrators were also using foul language, and they were loud. They were heard across the area;
•  it was heard that they might come back every week or fortnight and a poster was seen indicating that there was a demo at the hotel on 17 August;
• could the PSPO be extended to nearby licensed premises eg Ceno?