Sawt Falasteen - UK vows to speed up asylum claims as hotel protests spread

The government said that it will establish a new independent body to hear appeals by failed applicants more quickly as it attempts to end the costly use of so-called asylum hotels, which have become the subject of discontent among a portion of the public.

The Labour government said on Friday it would appeal a court ruling blocking it from housing asylum seekers in a flashpoint hotel in southeast England.

The ruling triggered the announcement of a wave of protests and counter-protests outside hotels accommodating asylum seekers around the country.

Demonstrations under the "Abolish Asylum System" slogan were held on Saturday in British cities and towns including Bristol, Exeter, Tamworth, Cannock, Nuneaton, Liverpool, Wakefield, Newcastle, Aberdeen, Perth and in central London.

Mounted police separated rival groups at the Bristol event, with officers scuffling with protesters.

"Our officers have dealt admirably with a really challenging situation," said Keith Smith, from Avon and Somerset Police

"While there were moments of disturbance, we're pleased to say the two protests have passed without significant incident," he added.

Eleven people were arrested for various offences including being drunk and disorderly, and assault at the Liverpool protest.

- Further protests planned -

The latest wave of protests began outside a hotel in Epping, southeast England, after a resident was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.

Further events were planned for Sunday, and for Monday, which is a public holiday in the UK.

The latest official data showed there were 32,345 asylum seekers being housed temporarily in UK hotels at the end of March.

The government is battling to reduce the backlog of initial asylum claims and court delays over appeals, which it says is the biggest cause of pressure in the asylum accommodation system.

"We inherited an asylum system in complete chaos with a soaring backlog of asylum cases and a broken appeals system," said interior minister Yvette Cooper in a press release on Sunday.

"We are determined to substantially reduce the number of people in the asylum system as part of our plan to end asylum hotels... we cannot carry on with these completely unacceptable delays in appeals," she added.

K.Hassan--SF-PST