Demonstrators have gathered near council offices at Bartholomews in Brighton to protest about the reopening of a hotel in Hove where unaccompanied child refugees were being placed by the Home Office.
- Brighton- Activists protest over reopening of refugee hotel 2
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- Brighton- Activists protest over reopening of refugee hotel 5
- Brighton- Activists protest over reopening of refugee hotel 6
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- Brighton- Activists protest over reopening of refugee hotel.1
- Brighton- Activists protest over reopening of refugee hotel
- Brighton- Activists protest over reopening of refugee hotel 7
- Brighton- Activists protest over reopening of refugee hotel 8
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An investigation found that many of the vulnerable children had disappeared after being placed in the hotel and it was feared that some had been trafficked for sex and county lines drug dealing.
The Labour leader of Brighton and Hove City Council, Bella Sankey, said that 50 children and young people who went missing from the hotel previously had still not been found.
Councillor Sankey said:
“We are desperately worried about the 50 people who remain missing from the last time the Home Office housed unaccompanied children in this city, including 11 children under 18 years old.
“And we continue to co-operate with Sussex Police and national police in efforts to find these children.
“This administration is now using every means available to stop this unlawful and shameful practice.
“One of our first acts was to put the Home Office on notice that we consider this practice unlawful.
“This week we’ve been informed that they are getting the hotel ready again to receive more unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, against our views and with almost no notice, because of a complete failure on the part of the government to make the arrangements necessary to care for these children in appropriate settings.
“There is now the prospect of immediate litigation so I have been advised not to say too much.
“But what I can say is we are seeking to stop this from happening and we are committed to ensuring that any asylum-seeking child in this city gets the services they are entitled to and deserve.”
Quote taken from report by Sarah Booker-Lewis for the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
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