SOLIDARITY campaigners once again faced down an anti-immigration protest over the weekend outside a Falkirk hotel used to house people seeking asylum.

Those who once again targeted the hotel launched into chants of “get them out” as well as the “stop the boats” slogan shared by both the government and the far right alike, while some among their number were heard to chant “Tommy Robinson,” the alias of far-right leader Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.

The stand-off was the latest in a series at the hotel amid escalating tension, which saw a brick thrown through a window at the hotel last week.

Between the protest and the hotel, however, stood a counter-demonstration of solidarity, organised by Stand Up to Racism, alongside Falkirk Trades Council and Falkirk for All.

In a speech at that demonstration, but directed squarely at those opposite, Carse, Kinnaird and Tryst Ward councillor Laura Murtagh appealed to local residents to challenge the motives of those who had hijacked their concerns.

“I do not believe everyone is racist over there, but you are standing with them, you are inviting them to your rallies,” she said.