A Scottish MP has torn into recent protests fuelled by anger at the government’s failure to tackle the migrant crisis.
Joani Reid condemned protesters as ‘coked up yobbos’ (Image: Joani Reid X / Getty)
A Labour MP has accused Britons protesting against migrant hotels in their communities of “coked-up yobbery” in an astonishing outburst. Joani Reid, elected to represent East Kilbride and Strathaven last year, also accused protestors of being “far right thugs” who are attempting to “whip up hatred and division”.
While she also branded the use of hotels for accommodating asylum seekers as “an unmitigated disaster”, her condemnation of those actively protesting on the streets may spark strong backlash.
Speaking to the Daily Record newspaper, Ms Reid blasted: “Far right thugs have taken to streets across Britain, trying desperately to whip up hatred and division. They are the ugly face of the immigration debate – no decent person will want to be part of their coked-up yobbery.”
Recent protests have been led by concerned mothers (Image: Getty)
Protesters outside the Bell Hotel in Epping and in Canary Wharf have recently been led by mothers, concerned at the safety implications for Britain’s women and girls from the flow of undocumented young men entering the country by small boat.
Earlier this week the “Pink Ladies” protest group vowed to keep protesting in East London in an attempt to force the shut down of a migrant hotel.
Charity worker Lorraine Kavanagh, 70, argued: “We don’t hate these people. I can’t hate someone I don’t know. What I hate is the system. This government is supposed to be protecting us, and they’re not.”
Ms Reid acknowledged the “much deeper” concerns of “Millions of ordinary people” beyond those protesting on the streets, adding they “have been left angry and bewildered by the chaos in the immigration system and the community tensions it has festered”.
“Under the previous Tory government, the whole immigration system reached the brink of collapse. As a Labour MP, I won’t rely on their failures as an excuse: I was elected to fix the problems our country faces. That’s why I am backing the Prime Minister’s decision to accelerate reforms to asylum.
Her outburst contrasts with Robert Jenrick’s support (Image: Robert Jenrick X)
“Refugees fleeing terror and torture deserve our protection. But economic migration only makes sense if it works for Britain too.
“That is why we need to process asylum applications faster and deport those who don’t qualify without delay. Speeding up processing will allow us to end the widespread use of hotels and create a fairer system for everyone.”
By contrast, top Tory Robert Jenrick recently joined protesters outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, branding them “fair-minded patriotic people.”
Mr Jenrick added that those on the streets voicing outrage at the use of asylum hotels “are right to do so”.
“They’re right to be angry and frustrated, and they’re right to be demanding change, because this has got to stop. Enough is enough.”
The Government has pledged to end the use of hotels to house illegal migrants by 2029, though in its first year has seen the net number of hotels drop by just three, with over 200 more still in use.
