Migrants protesting outside a London hotel have been told they’ll be made homeless unless they accept living in cramped accommodation.
Around 20 migrants took to the streets outside the Comfort Inn in Pimlico, London, to protest against what it called “inhumane” conditions where an average of four people are allegedly being asked to sleep in one room.
They also rejected a Home Office offer to be taken to other accommodation and are being told they’ll be homeless unless they accept their offer.
It is understood that some in the group – which was originally 40-strong, according to Sky News – has accepted the ultimatum. Others have continued to protest.
One migrant, who wished not to be named, said it felt like he was being treated like a “commodity of trade”.
The man, who left Syria for the UK two years ago, said: “In [our previous accommodation], we had one room per person. We now have one room for four people. The room is no bigger than two square metres.
“We have become a commodity of trade for the housing insurance company. They say we are breaking the law because we are demanding human rights.”
The man, who left his wife and kids in Syria where he was a primary school teacher, said sleeping rough had been a “scary experience”.
He said: “You, the countries of the West, always say you are the country of freedom and the country of democracy and spread this in the Arab countries but where is the democracy and human rights here?”
“We escaped from fear and imprisonment and now look at this injustice.”
He was among a group of refugees dropped off at the Comfort Inn hotel on Wednesday from hotels in Whitechapel and Ilford. It is unclear why they were moved but may coincide with what is believed to be a drastic change in the way the Home Office houses asylum seekers to make the trip to the UK less desirable for others.
When asked, the Home Office said it could not comment on operational arrangements for individual hotels.
Another man, from Erbil, Iraq, said he wanted “justice” and better living conditions.
Another, who had travelled from Africa through Italy and France to arrive to the UK, said he’d been advised not to accept the accommodation by a group at the hotel.
He also said many of the people protesting suffer from mental illnesses and trauma.
The men are said to be from Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea, Afghanistan, Iran and Kurdistan.
Mohammed Abrahim, 50, is a manager at a nearby convenience store. He said refugees would come in to buy drinks from his store.
He sympathised with the protesters. He said: “It just doesn’t seem fair. I hope they are either moved to a better place and living conditions or they fix it here and get more room.”
Adam Hug, the leader of Westminster City Council, called on the Home Office to deal with the protesters directly. He said: “I would ask that you urgently clarify how this was allowed to happen, why this was acceptable, and why no communication was made with the local authority to alert us.
“When dealing with a group of people where many of whom are likely to have been through significant and traumatic events that have led them to seek asylum, asking them to share an inappropriately sized room with multiple strangers defies common sense and basic decency.”
He added: “Such an approach clearly risks leading to similar incidents in the future, as well as creating safeguarding and health risks. Leaving them on the street for multiple nights is not an alternative.
“At every opportunity we have gone out of our way to engage constructively with the Home Office, welcoming asylum seekers into our city and doing all we can to support them appropriately.
“This has been met with minimal, or in this case no communication whatsoever, and in order for events like this to be avoided in the future, this has to change. We stand ready to support, and simply ask that you join us in that collaborative spirit.”
A Home Office spokesperson said it expects the highest standards from its accommodation providers and works with them to resolve any issues raised about service delivery.
They said accommodation is offered on a no-choice basis and conforms to the accommodation standards and provision set out in Schedule 2 of the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) and any asylum seeker who refuses may have their government support withdrawn.
They said: “Despite the number of people arriving in the UK reaching record levels, we continue to provide accommodation – at a cost of £6 million a day – for asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute to meet our legal obligation.
“The accommodation offered to asylum seekers by providers, on a no-choice basis, is of a decent standard and meets all legal and contractual requirements.”
