Far-right Britain First activists branded 'disgusting' for raiding hotel housing migrants

Far-right group Britain First has been condemned after a video showing activists walking the corridors of a hotel reportedly housing migrants was widely viewed on social media.

Footage shows several members of the group knocking on people's doors in a hotel in Warrington in Cheshire. A man narrating can be heard saying that the group entered the hotel legally.

The video shows the activists asking hotel residents where they are from, with startled-looking people saying they are from countries including Iraq and Sudan.

Britain First organiser Ashlea Simon said they had eventually been asked not to harass the hotel guests.

She said in an interview: "A lot of the migrants have been willing to speak to us about how long they've been here.

"Some have been here three months, four months. Some have three rooms because they've got so many children with them."

She added that "three burly men" told them not to speak to the migrants in the hotel before calling the police.

Ms Simon also complained that British people's tax money was being spent on supporting the people in hotels while others were living on the streets.

The video has been watched widely online and received widespread criticism from viewers.

Campaign group Black and Asian Lawyers for Justice branded the footage "absolutely disgusting".

Another viewer said: "I cannot imagine the fear that these people felt when confronted by half a dozen angry white men at the front door of their temporary homes. They seek sanctuary and refuge, not hostility and hatred, they fled from that."

A third added: "Why don’t they go ask the people spending 'their tax money' where it’s going instead of harassing refugees?"

A spokesperson fo Cheshire police said officers had been called to "reports of a potential breach of the peace" in the hotel.

"The caller reported that a small number of protestors had entered the building," the spokesperson added.

"Officers attended the premises and on arrival the group had left the site.

"No complaints were made by anyone present at the hotel and enquiries into the matter are ongoing."

This is not the first time Britain First members have harassed migrants living in hotels recently.

Hotels in Camden, Essex and Birmingham have all been targeted in recent weeks by the group, leading local authorities to put more security in certain establishments.

Lisa Doyle, head of advocacy at campaign group Refugee Council, told the Huffington Post after the Camden raid: “The UK should be a place of safety for people seeking asylum, where they can rebuild their lives and fulfil their potential.

“It’s shameful that they are being subjected to such hostility.”

Britannia Hotels, which runs the hotel in question, has been contacted for comment.