Police praise peaceful protests in Deanshanger

More than 50 officers were deployed to the south of Northamptonshire yesterday (Saturday 30th) to ensure a protest and a counter-protest took place peacefully outside a hotel housing asylum seekers.

The public order operation started at 11am as a group of around 50 pro-immigration protestors positioned themselves outside the front of the MK Hotel in Deanshanger.

During the next hour, around 100 anti-immigration protestors arrived to mount their protest a safe distance away.

Det Chief Supt Rich Tompkins, who led the police operation, said the two protests had passed off peacefully and no arrests were made.

He said: “This was a well-planned operation with specially trained officers deployed. The aim was to to ensure a peaceful protest was able to take place while also protecting those people housed within the hotel. There was some vocal protest on both sides but it remained peaceful throughout.

“We would like to thank partner organisations who assisted in the run-up to this operation, including the community in Deanshanger, particularly a number of businesses in the immediate vicinity of the hotel.”

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