Aldershot Potters International Hotel protest images revealed as police investigate disruption and racist abuse

The protest took place on Wednesday, July 31 at Potters International Hotel in Aldershot with around 200 people attending. While the majority were peaceful a minority resorted to throwing objects and subjecting people to racist abuse, with one officer suffering minor injuries.

Assistant Chief Constable Paul Bartolomeo said: “The swift and decisive actions of our officers last night saw this incident brought under control, preventing further harm to the community in Aldershot. Our role is to protect people’s lawful right to protest, while also preventing serious disorder and disruption to the local community and this is what happened last night.

“It is totally unacceptable to turn that lawful right into criminal acts including incidents of criminal damage, racial abuse and intimidation. This will not be tolerated in Hampshire and Isle of Wight. Our specialist teams are working hard to identify anyone who has committed a criminal offence and we will take swift and robust action against those people.

“As ever, we continue to speak to our communities across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to ensure we have our teams where they need to be and we are constantly reviewing our patrol plans to reassure residents. Everyone has the right to free speech and peaceful protest. However, officers will take a robust stance against those whose behaviour falls below the standard we expect and who choose to act outside of the law.”

The police have now released images of eight people they would like to speak to as part of their investigation. They are asking anyone with information call the police on 101, quoting 44240326041. Reports can also be made via their website.

Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their anonymous online form. The police have set up a portal for anyone who has any visual evidence, such as dash cam, mobile phone or CCTV footage. This can be found via the following link: https://mipp.police.uk/operation/44HC24N06-PO1