It was 6 pm on Wednesday, April 22. For nearly an hour, about half a dozen police officers had been setting up security barriers in front of the Cladhan Hotel, a dilapidated two-story building near the center of Falkirk, Scotland. About 10 people finally arrived and positioned themselves across from the hotel. The women, dressed in dark puffer jackets, had brought camping chairs. One of them unfurled a banner emblazoned with “Scottish Patriots.”
The Cladhan houses men who are awaiting a decision on their asylum applications. The UK Home Office, which is required to provide them with accommodation, has, since 2020, increasingly placed asylum seekers in hotels across the country, particularly in areas where the housing market is less pressured. Located 30 kilometers from Glasgow, Falkirk, the former capital of Scotland’s industrial revolution, suffered from the closure of surrounding factories. Grangemouth, Scotland’s last refinery, ceased operations in 2025.
Since the Southport knife attack in July 2024 – when a young British man of Rwandan origin killed three young girls at a dance class – protests against these hotels have multiplied throughout the United Kingdom. The demonstrations intensified in the summer of 2025, with far-right activists joining local residents to demand the closure of these facilities, spreading anti-migrant and even racist slogans both on the streets and online.
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