Calls for buffer zone around Cladhan Hotel housing asylum seekers in Falkirk amid ongoing protest unrest

A community group is calling for an exclusion zone to be put in place around a Falkirk hotel housing asylum seekers, following numerous protests and counter-protests in recent weeks.

Falkirk for All has launched a petition on Change.org, calling for the area outside the Cladhan Hotel in Kemper Avenue to be covered by an exclusion zone, which would mean protests would not be allowed in that area.

The group says moving the protests elsewhere would be better for those living in the hotel but also for local residents.

A spokesperson for Falkirk for All said: “We think it’s a completely unsuitable place for these protests to take place.

“The men living in the Cladhan don’t choose to be there – they are placed there by the Home Office, and it’s the only place that they can call home.

“If a group of people turned up at my house and started shouting abuse at me, the police would do something.”

Protests are now occurring twice a week, with anti-immigration protesters facing off against Stand Up to Racism campaigners. While the number of people involved has dwindled, livestreams of the events show tensions remain high.

The spokesperson for Falkirk For All said she did not want to be named as she and her family have been subjected to abuse while attending counter-demonstrations and online.

She claimed fireworks and other missiles have been thrown and said people have been screaming abuse at anyone entering or leaving the hotel.

Members of the group are also concerned about the disruption the protests are causing to residents of nearby houses and flats.

The hotel is opposite a supermarket and close to a residential area with houses and several blocks of flats, whose residents are mainly elderly.

Anti-asylum protesters and counter-protests have both been accused of making too much noise for local residents, due to loud music and speeches played through loudspeaker systems.

Falkirk for All say their demand for an exclusion zone is “not about stopping people’s rights to protest”.

“When they had a protest outside [Falkirk MP] Euan Stainbank’s office, we didn’t counter it,” the spokesperson said.

“Why not protest outside the Home Office, or protest outside Mears Group, who are profiting from the exploitation of asylum seekers?”

Last Saturday, Falkirk For All decided not to hold a counter-protest, concerned at the level of intimidation their members had faced on Wednesday evening.

But protests and counter-protests will resume this week.

The group says that many people, including anti-immigration protesters, want to see an end to the gatherings, which have put Falkirk firmly under the spotlight.

“It’s not nice to see your local town on various media platforms being linked to some of the stuff we’ve seen, like ‘Kill them All’ banners and stuff like that,” they said.

The group say they will present their petition to Police Scotland, who have the power to enforce an exclusion zone, but it will also go to local MSPs, the local MP and Falkirk Council.

Save Our Future and Our Kids Futures, who have organised anti-immigration protests, said in a statement that an exclusion zone that would limit their right to protest at the hotel would be “unjust”.

The group have launched a counter-petition, urging their supporters to defend their right to rally outside the hotel.

They said: “We condemn violence, intimidation, racist or ableist language, and any behaviour intended to frighten or harm people.

“That behaviour has no place in Falkirk and it has no place in any protest.”

Chief Inspector Alex Hatrick said: “We are aware of a petition circulating in the Falkirk area.

“We have appropriate resources in place to ensure the safety of all those who attend protests and mitigate disruption to the wider community.”