Protesters opposed to illegal immigration and counter ‘unity’ campaigners keen to defend immigrants are once again preparing to go head-to-head at a second demonstration outside a Chesterfield hotel which is housing unsettled asylum seekers.
More than 600 people attended the last demonstration at the Sandpiper Hotel, on Sheffield Road, in Chesterfield, between Old Whittington and Unstone, in September, with heated exchanges and chanting over strongly-held views on immigration as protesters from opposite camps faced each other from either side of the street.
The latest anti-immigration demonstration has been organised for 3pm, on Sunday, November 30, by campaigner Gareth Carlile who has called for calm with fliers stipulating a ‘peaceful protest only’ after he referred to ‘unsavoury language’ at the original event.
A spokesperson for Chesterfield & District TUC, which is heading up a Unity in the Community rally at the event, stated: “This will be a safe, stewarded event to show our opposition to the far-right who wish to intimidate and threaten refugees at the Sandpiper Hotel, in Chesterfield.
“Our Unity in the Community rally will show that Chesterfield people stand up against hate and racism and will not allow division and scapegoating in our town.”
Anti-immigration protesters voiced concerns during the first event with claims illegal immigrants are coming to the UK for its welfare benefits and the costs of housing asylum seekers in hotels is at the public’s expense as they brandished Union and St George flags as symbols of their self-professed ‘national pride’.
The flag movement which has seen streets festooned with Union and St George flags has triggered continued debate since it gathered momentum across Derbyshire including in Chesterfield, Staveley, Matlock, and Gamesley and elsewhere across the UK following the launch of the Operation Raise the Colours campaign.
Campaigner James Henry Holmes who has made a number of social media posts urging people to support businesses that fly the flag and to avoid those that do not has urged people to attend the Sandpiper Hotel demonstration calling for a ‘Massive turnout, lots of flags, smiles, music and fun chants’.
He stated: “Let’s show them at this one. Massive turnout, lots of flags, smiles, music and fun chants. The Lefties will be in meltdown.”
A flier posted on social media by Mr Holmes states ‘Calling all patriots! The nation is constantly under attack!’ and ‘Peaceful protest only’.
Mr Holmes also flew a massive Union flag across former NE Derbyshire District Council offices in Chesterfield in September before Chesterfield Borough Council ordered its removal under ‘large format advertisement’ planning regulations only for Mr Holmes to replace it with a bigger flag measuring over 100ft.
Chesterfield TUC’s Unity in the Community rally has included publicity calling for people to ‘Unite and Stop The Far Right’ and it has published statements including ‘unity in our community and refugees are welcome here’ and ‘we reject racism, division and all forms of hate from a vocal far right minority’.
The Home Office has announced new police powers to protect communities from repeated events in the same location after disruption caused by weeks of protests outside Epping Forest’s Bell Hotel and other UK migrant accommodation.
However, specific rules have not yet been revealed but guidance includes suggestions that protest organisers could hold an event somewhere else if a demonstration has taken place at the same place for weeks.
Barbara Sansome, of the North Derbyshire Refugee Support Group, and who has been working as a volunteer supporting refugees housed at the Sandpiper Hotel since 2022 has stated it is important asylum seekers are seen as human beings and she claimed those at the hotel have only been receiving £8.86 a week and they are not allowed to work and they do not feel safe.
Jeannie Robinson, Secretary at Stand Up to Racism Chesterfield, said she was proud of those who attended the last counter protest who stood in solidarity with the asylum seekers at the hotel.
Derbyshire Constabulary police officers oversaw the last event and are expected to do so again after Sheffield Road was closed between Sheepbridge roundabout and Cheetham Avenue.
The Home Office is responsible for housing asylum seekers and although Derbyshire County Council and borough and district councils play no part in this process the county council does have some responsibilities to help unaccompanied child asylum seekers, and the county, district and borough councils do work on resettlement plans for those granted refugee status and with any homelessness issues.
Derbyshire Constabulary, Derbyshire County Council, Chesterfield Borough Council, NE Derbyshire District Council and the Home Office have all been given an opportunity to comment but had not done so by the time of publication.
Similar protests have been perceived as intimidating for asylum seekers after the violent scenes which originally unfolded outside one of the first demonstrations of its kind at the Holiday Inn Express, at Manvers, in Wath upon Dearne, where anti-immigration and counter protesters gathered in August, 2024.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he is determined to close all asylum hotels despite Home Office Statistics showing a recent rise in numbers of asylum seekers being housed temporarily at hotels following a considerable drop, in September, 2023.
Home Office data has revealed that 36,273 people were being housed in asylum hotels in September, 2025, at the time of the first Sandpiper Hotel demonstration.
