Migrants being housed inside a London hotel have been pictured laughing and filming from the building's windows as protesters gather on the streets below.
Young men believed to be asylum seekers inside the Thistle City Barbican Hotel in central London waved and blew kisses at protesters.
The Metropolitan Police said the protest against the use of the Islington hotel was organised by local residents under the banner “Thistle Barbican needs to go – locals say no”.
A counter protest, organised by Stand Up To Racism and supported by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, was separated from pro-migrant demonstrators by metal barriers and police.
Protesters chanted and banged drums in the street below while others waved union flags and held banners.
One man chanted in the direction of the hotel: "Get these scum off our streets".
Police said the anti-asylum hotel protest had been “endorsed by groups from outside the local community which is likely to increase the number of people attending”.
The large group of masked protesters dressed in black, chanted: “We are anti-fascist”.
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Migrants were seen laughing and recording the protests
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The anti-fascist protesters are blocking a junction.
Officers have pushed into the crowd to detain several demonstrators.
Police were seen dragging them out by their arms and legs.
One man wearing an England football shirt getting arrested following an angry confrontation with officers.
Migrants were seen blowing kisses and making love heart gestures to counter-protestors
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Online groups that have voiced support for the protest include "Patriots of Britain" and "Together for the Children".
The Metropolitan Police said plans were in place to "respond to any protest activity" in the area.
The protests coincide with footage showing a bus-load of migrants moving into the Britannia International Hotel in Canary Wharf, London, in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The migrants, who appeared to all be men, were filmed carrying brown envelopes and dressed in dark colours.
Supporters of local protest group 'Thistle Barbican needs to go - locals say no' gathered
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Last month, protests took place outside the four-star hotel, which the Government intends to use as temporary accommodation for asylum seekers, according to Tower Hamlets Council.
A spokesperson for Tower Hamlets Council said: "We are aware of the Government's decision to use the Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf to provide temporary accommodation for asylum seekers.
"It is important that the Government ensures that there is a full package of support for those staying at the hotel. We are working with the Home Office and partners to make sure that all necessary safety and safeguarding arrangements are in place."
GB News has approached the Home Office for a comment.
Police form a barrier in front of 'stand up to racism' masked protesters outside the Thistle City Barbican Hotel in central London
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Similar protests and counter-protests broke out in Epping in recent weeks after a 41-year-old Ethiopian asylum seeker was charged with multiple sex offences having arrived in the country eight days earlier.
Another migrant protest erupted at a hotel near Heathrow Airport, where protesters threw beer cans at the building after the Home Office announced plans to house single male asylum seekers there.
While peaceful protests from concerned parents and residents caused a stir in the mainstream media, they were sparked by the same thing that set off rioters across the country last summer in the wake of a stabbing attack in Southport - immigration.
Now, almost a year on from the rioting, GB News spoke to one Epping protester to investigate the reasons behind the recent demonstrations and their connection to the violence seen last summer.
Anti-immigration protesters outside the Thistle City Barbican Hotel in central London
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Local mother Lindsey Thompson emerged as a prominent voice during recent protests at the Bell Hotel, exclusively telling GB News that “basic safety” had been thrown out the window.
She said: "When it happens on your doorstep, you feel it. You feel less safe and you see it with your own eyes, you see women not able to walk their dog, not able to walk past the Bell Hotel."
"That’s the moment you say ‘I can’t sit back and do nothing, I have to do something’.
"Whether that is you joining up and standing out in the rain saying ‘save our kids’ or sharing information … about who’s arriving … this is a really small town, word travels really fast."
The UK Government has pledged to close all asylum hotels by 2029, as part of a broader effort to move asylum seekers into more cost-effective and suitable accommodation.