REFUGEES are welcome in Falkirk, said anti-racism campaigners on Saturday, as a hotel housing asylum-seekers was targeted by an anti-migrant protest.

Stand Up to Racism Scotland, Falkirk Trades Union Council and residents chanted “refugees are welcome here” and “this is what community looks like” at a demonstration organised in the town.

The far-right group Save Our Future & Our Kids Futures had announced plans to hold a protest outside the Cladhan hotel, and dozens of demonstrators from each side stood on opposite sides of the road outside the hotel, with police keeping them separate.

Protesters waving Union Jack flags chanted “send them home” and held signs with messages such as “go home,” “enough is enough” and “we want our country back.”

Stand Up to Racism Scotland organisers said: “We are organising a peaceful counter-protest to stand in solidarity with refugees and to say that they are welcome.”

They described it as a “safely stewarded community event with music, speeches from the local community, the trade union movement, local campaigns, faith groups and others.”

In a social media post, Save Our Future & Our Kids Futures said that it is “standing against uncontrolled illegal immigration, with people being placed in our communities without transparency, accountability, or consultation.

“This is not about hate, racism, or division. This is about safety, justice, and standing up for the people of Falkirk, who deserve better.”

The group previously insisted that it was not “anti-refugee” or “anti-migrant” but is “against a broken asylum system that is impacting communities across the UK, including Falkirk.”

The Home Office declined to comment.

Epping Forest District Council will meanwhile discover on Tuesday whether it has been successful in a bid to temporarily block asylum-seekers from being housed at an Essex hotel.

The Tory-run authority is seeking an interim injunction stopping migrants from being accommodated at the Bell Hotel in Epping, owned by Somani Hotels Limited.

Protests have been held outside the hotel after an asylum-seeker housed there was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.