Rory Allington-Mott, 33, admitted racially aggravated criminal damage, which police estimate caused thousands of pounds of damage to the hotel during the afternoon of April 20.

The Lion Hotel announced late last year that it would close its doors to customers and help give temporary accommodation to refugees in line with an ongoing government scheme. A statement from the hotel at the time read: “We are working with the Government to welcome people who desperately need a roof over their head – often people who have escaped war-torn countries, and are seeking a safe place to stay while they wait for a more permanent home,” adding that would it provide ongoing employment to its staff and leave them in “good stead for the future”.

Weeks later, West Mercia Police responded to a bomb threat against the hotel on December 9, 2022, causing an area evacuation for several hours until officers declared it a hoax.

The MyShrewsbury newspaper interviewed several refugees, including Afghan men who fled the Taliban, fearing violence – leaving behind family, children and wives. Other refugees mentioned included a Ukrainian man who provided free haircuts.

Whilst the article highlighted positive community schemes and support, it also highlighted the abuse directed towards the refugees – including online comments linking them to crime.

Allington-Mott, who is not from Shrewsbury, but 93 miles away in the High Street area of Newport, received a 24-week prison sentence suspended for one year. He must also carry out 120 hours of unpaid work, compensate the Lion Hotel to the sum of £1680, pay a victim surcharge of £154 and costs of £185.

The investigating officer PC Chloe Spiers said: “We are really pleased with the quick and efficient way in which this case has been dealt with. I hope this reassures our communities that we will act quickly and decisively to bring offenders to justice.”

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After reaching out to Tell MAMA, we provided support and offered a tailor-made service to them with updates to the investigation.

Following an email incident report update to us, the Met Police confirmed that they initially took no further action, citing a lack of CCTV in the area, which we successfully challenged. And upon further review, they informed us of the decision to close the case because they could not trace the suspects and encouraged our service user to avoid walking in that area again.

To protect their identity, we are not disclosing further details. Still, we can confirm the assault occurred on June 16, when four white males subjected our service user to anti-Black racism before assaulting him.

Photographs shared with our service detail how the racist attack left them with a deep laceration on their skull, resulting in hospitalisation. They confirmed to our Casework Team that they have no memory of the attack.

Several upstanders helped our service user following the racist attack until paramedics arrived at the scene.

As a confidential third-party service, we exercised our capacity to liaise further with the Met Police on their behalf and push for the attack to be re-investigated.

We are also providing translation assistance within our existing emotional support structures.

From the perspective of our Director Iman Atta, we have assisted refugees for many years in various ways – including advocacy work with housing associations and local authorities.

She said: “It remains of great concern that those most vulnerable are having to navigate various bureaucracies whether trying to find adequate housing away from racist neighbours or navigating reporting hate crime to the police.

Such barriers are often compounded by a lack of multilingual language support or a lack of oversight or care about how they navigate the complexities of various support systems. We encourage others to get in touch with our service as we accept referrals and can provide signposting.

Our service user was on the receiving end of racist, anti-Black violence because of their identity and struggled to engage with the police further due to language barriers we helped them overcome. We will continue to advocate until we can get a just outcome and hopefully hold those responsible accountable.”

As authorised advocates, we liaised with the Met Police on their behalf, who revealed to us in late July that there was no CCTV of the attack. Nor did it prove possible to retrieve forensics when they followed up and drove him to the scene. However, officers reassured the man to contact them if he came across the perpetrator, as they confirmed that they did not know their attacker, nor had they seen them since.

Over the years, we have evidenced in annual reports the racialised targeting of Muslim refugees – from racist hate and violence in public areas to one high-profile case of helping to get a vulnerable refugee re-housed after advocating on their behalf with the local authorities after evidencing to them the sustained campaign of racist harassment and abuse faced from a neighbour.

We have previously reported how Devon and Cornwall Police investigated an anti-Muslim assault on a teen who wears the hijab in Plymouth. Other case studies we have published include the racialised targeting of refugees online and offline impacts on Muslim communities at home and in public spaces, including on public transport.

We continue to provide support as our service user remains fearful of further racist violence as another refugee faced violence in the same area.

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The individual spotted the vandalism when out walking over the Bank Holiday weekend along Coppermill Lane – the first vandalised sticker found appeared just past Rensburg road, showed a ‘Refugees Welcome’ sticker vandalised in black marker pen to read ‘Refugees Not Welcome’. They removed the racist vandalism upon closer inspection.

Speaking to Tell MAMA, they described seeing anti-fascist stickers marked with black crosses through the logos in a similar-sized tip, as another ‘Refugees Welcome’ sticker bore similar markings before someone(s) aggressively scratched out the family in the logo.

The witness believed the vandalism was carried out by the same individual(s) given the nature of the handwriting and use of marker pen.

The manner of the vandalism ‘alarmed’ them, given the anger directed the depiction of a refugee family when scratched out so aggressively – stressing their belief that those responsible felt emboldened by the political climate and rhetoric of some politicians and wanting to target vulnerable refugees and those opposed to racism and fascism.

As they walked further down Coppermill Lane, a sticker reading ‘No One Is Illegal’ had been scratched out, though other pro-refugee stickers remained or appeared after that.

After giving Tell MAMA permission to post their photographs, they believed the vandalism was recent, owing to the arrival of Afghan refugees.

Tell MAMA has long highlighted examples of racist and neo-Nazi stickers targeting Muslims, refugees, and other minorities.

We have flagged the racist vandalism of the sticker welcoming refugees to the Metropolitan Police.

More broadly, for those wishing to do so, there are many resources and articles dedicated to assisting Afghan refugees and showing solidarity, with helpful advice available for those wanting to help refugees about the practicalities and avoiding potential pitfalls when donating to small charities. For example, Bridgette Chapman, who works for a refugee charity in Kent, wrote: “Rather than contact overstretched charities to ask what’s needed, try taking a look at their website and social media to see if there are any specific requests.”

Tell MAMA extends their gratitude to the upstander who safely removed the sticker they came across.

You can get advice from our confidential and free helpline on 0800 456 1226. Or through our free iOS or Android apps. Report through our online form. Or contact us via WhatsApp on 0734 184 6086.

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A 15-year-old boy set up an extremist right-wing group after spending a “concerning amount of time online” during the first national lockdown, a court has heard.

The teenager, from south Derbyshire, ran the openly racist channel, which had 38 subscribers, on the encrypted Telegram app from August 5 last year, when he was 14.

He vetted others into private chat groups where they talked about “doing something” against ethnic minorities, and discussed weapons, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard.

The boy downloaded a video of the Christchurch mosque attacks in New Zealand, in which gunman Brenton Tarrant shot and killed 51 people, and saved an image of a “leader board” of right-wing terrorists, including the number of people they had killed.

In one post, he wrote in capital letters: “I am planning a(n) attack against the Dover coast where every Muslim and refugee has been given safe(t)y if your interested tell me now.”

The youngster, who cannot be identified because of his age, pleaded guilty in June to possessing a terrorist publication called the Anarchy Cookbook Version 2000, disseminating a terrorist publication, and encouraging terrorism, in August and September last year.

A 16-year-old boy, from Kent, who was a member of the Telegram chat group, admitted disseminating a terrorist publication called the White Resistance Manual by sending an electronic link in August which allowed others to access it.

During a sentencing hearing on Monday, prosecutor Alistair Richardson said: “Both defendants’ messaging, and analysis of their devices, demonstrates a deep-rooted, extreme right-wing, racist ideology of an abhorrent, entrenched and concerning nature.”

The 15-year-old received a caution in September 2019 for sending pictures of bombs to a fellow school pupil over Snapchat.

He has previous convictions for hate crimes, after threatening to blow up a mosque on January 20 last year, and assaulting an emergency worker, by headbutting a police officer who came to his home.

The court heard he also made a string of phone calls to mosques across London and was twice referred to the Government’s Prevent de-radicalisation programme.

Mark Luckett, defending, said his client has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, adding: “It is clear at some point he had been manipulated.

“The offences occurred during the first national lockdown. (He) appears to have spent a concerning amount of time online during which has unfortunately led him down a very dark rabbit hole.”

The lawyer said the boy “lacks maturity”, his “primary focus was on computer games”, and he “didn’t understand what he was doing”.

He told the court the boy was “encouraged by the number of responses he has from other members of the group”, who referred to him as “the commander”.

Addressing Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring, the 15-year-old said he wants to go to university to study veterinary medicine or zoology.

“I don’t hold those views and I don’t know how I got to hold those views. That’s not the person I am,” he said.

“I spent a lot of time in my bedroom doing nothing. I think I need to be a normal child again.”

The 16-year-old said: “I’m really sorry. I will never touch that aspect of belief in my life and I will stop anyone I can from even trying to touch it.”

Mr Goldspring adjourned sentencing to September 9, remanding the 15-year-old into youth custody and granting the older boy conditional bail.

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Social media posts confirmed that individuals had driven from Nottingham and Bradford to attend.

Like in Dover, the protest brought together individuals linked to or inspired by National Action, Combat 18, the Scottish and English Defence Leagues, North West Infidels, Misanthropic Division, Central Scotland Infidels and Blood and Honour. This protest, however, passed without violence or arrests.

Chief Inspector Bob Paris told the National: “I would like to thank the wider public for their patience and hope that the minimal disruption during the events did not spoil their day.”

A Unite Against Fascism counter-protest brought together minority communities and speakers from the SNP, Labour and Green Party.

Chants of “Refugees welcome, Deport the Nazis,” were said to have drowned out the vocal far-right minority.

Police Scotland had escorted the far-right groups to the City Chambers as they did not have permission to gather at Waverley Station.

One protester held a sign that read ‘Stop the Invasion Say No to Islam Say No to Mosques Say No to Halal Say no to Europe’. Others threw Nazi salutes – as one person wore a jumper promoting the infamous neo-Nazi punk band Skrewdriver.

Paul Whiteside, the EDL supporter who allegedly vandalised a proposed mosque in Lincoln, also attended the protest.

In contrast, the Stand Up to Racism event drew between 2,000 to 5,000 people in Glasgow on March 19. It coincided with other marches in London and Cardiff to mark UN anti-racism day.

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