Swinney Signals Buffer Zones Around Scotland’s Asylum Hotels

(PERTH, SCOTLAND) — First Minister John Swinney said the Scottish Government will consider creating “buffer zones” around hotels housing asylum seekers after what he called unacceptable scenes at a protest in Perth.

“There was a really ugly set of events outside one of the asylum hotels in Perth, that’s in my own constituency, and I’ve heard reports about all that was experienced. The behavior, the language, the physical actions, were totally and completely unacceptable,” Swinney said, in comments reported on January 15, 2026.

Proposal and political context

Swinney linked the idea to an intervention by Pete Wishart, the MP for Perth, and framed it as an attempt to balance competing rights as demonstrations spread to other towns.

“A suggestion has been made that we look at buffer zones, a suggestion made by my parliamentary colleague Pete Wishart, and we’ll explore that because I think there are arguments in favour of that to make sure that the right to protest is assured but also that the safety of other individuals is assured into the bargain,” Swinney said.

The comments marked a shift in emphasis at Holyrood as ministers face rising political pressure over protests outside asylum hotels, which are used to accommodate people seeking refuge while their claims are processed under UK-wide asylum arrangements.

Calls from local MP

Wishart, who represents Perth at Westminster, described the Perth Protests in stark terms and urged the authorities to move beyond condemnation.

“What we saw in Perth last week was disgraceful. Banging on the hotel windows and hurling abuse through loudspeakers is not ‘peaceful protest,’ it is aggression. That must include looking seriously at buffer or exclusion zones around asylum accommodation,” he said.

Language and description of protests

Swinney has also used stronger language about the demonstrations in recent days, describing them as “disgusting” and “vile abuse” directed at vulnerable individuals, according to reporting on January 13, 2026.

The policy discussion centres on whether designated protest exclusion areas—buffer zones—should apply specifically to asylum hotels, restricting certain protest activity within a set perimeter to reduce intimidation and harassment near buildings used for accommodation.

Groups identified in reporting as part of the recent surge include “Perth’s Peaceful Protest,” “Aberdeen Against Illegal Migration,” and “Dundee Patriots,” which targeted the Radisson Blu Hotel in Perth and other sites in Aberdeenshire and Falkirk.

Arguments for and against buffer zones

• Supporters of buffer zones argue the aim is not to ban protest but to prevent harassment close to residences, particularly where residents say they have felt threatened or unable to move freely.
• Opponents argue that creating hotel-specific exclusion zones could infringe on free speech, and question whether existing police powers are sufficient to handle disorder without new legislation.

Swinney has instructed the Chief Constable of Police Scotland to review the incidents, placing immediate focus on policing and operational responses while ministers consider whether any legislative route is needed.

Any formal move would still need to be separated from the political signal contained in Swinney’s remarks: considering an idea is not the same as proposing legislation, and proposing legislation is not the same as implementing it or beginning enforcement.

Legal context and precedents

The legal analogy repeatedly cited in the current debate is the Safe Access Zones Scotland Act, which established 200-meter buffer zones around abortion clinics in September 2024 to prevent harassment.

Under existing buffer zone laws in Scotland, breaches can result in fines of up to £10,000, or unlimited fines for serious cases, a framework now being referenced in arguments over whether similar approaches could apply to asylum hotels.

Ministers had previously resisted such a step in the asylum hotel context. In September 2025, Equalities Minister Kaukab Stewart said there were “no current plans” for such zones, citing the need to balance the right to protest.

That earlier position is now being tested by the pace and visibility of protests outside asylum accommodation, and by reports from residents and neighbours describing disruption and fear.

Impact on residents, asylum seekers and communities

Asylum seekers living in hotels have reported extreme distress, fear, and a sense of being “trapped” due to protesters banging on windows and using megaphones to broadcast anti-migrant slogans.

In Falkirk, residents in nearby residential blocks petitioned for exclusion zones, citing “unbearable noise levels” and the transformation of neighbourhoods into “echo chambers of chaos.”

For asylum seekers, the practical implications of any zone would likely be felt in daily routines around accommodation—how safe it feels to enter and leave, and whether proximity restrictions reduce confrontation near doors and windows.

For local residents and businesses, a buffer approach could change protest routes and policing presence, while leaving open questions about whether it would reduce noise and disruption or relocate tensions to nearby streets.

Community leaders and advocacy groups may respond by reporting incidents, attending consultations if launched, and asking police for guidance about what behaviour is permitted near buildings used as asylum hotels, though no consultation process was described in the information provided.

Operational and jurisdictional considerations

The debate also unfolds against the larger backdrop of the UK’s use of temporary hotel accommodation for asylum seekers, a policy controlled by the UK Home Office rather than the devolved Scottish Government.

As of late 2025, approximately 36,000 asylum seekers were housed in hotels across the UK, and the UK Home Office has stated its goal is to end hotel usage, with fewer than 200 hotels currently in operation as of January 2026.

In Scotland, any move toward buffer zones around asylum hotels would sit at the intersection of UK responsibility for asylum accommodation and Scottish responsibilities that can include public order and aspects of legislation, leaving open questions about scope, legal basis and enforcement.

The design choices under discussion are also central to the argument: whether to pursue standalone hotel-based zones, or to rely on existing public order powers and policing tactics to address harassment, intimidation, or disorder during protests.

Police reviews can document what happened, identify patterns, and inform operational needs, but they do not in themselves create new legal restrictions, meaning any shift toward fixed exclusion areas would require political and legal decisions beyond an incident assessment.

Practical enforcement and community response

Designing and enforcing buffer zones would require clarity on legal powers, who enforces the perimeter, and how breaches are treated relative to existing police powers and criminal law.

Community leaders, residents and advocacy groups would likely play roles in reporting incidents and participating in any consultation, while police and local authorities would need to plan operational responses to protests near designated areas.

Key Facts and Policy Details

This section outlines key facts and policy background to guide consideration of the buffer zone idea and to lead into the interactive tool for deeper comparison of options and impacts.

The interactive tool will present structured comparisons of approaches, legal bases, and likely operational implications; the prose here highlights the main points that the tool will expand on.

Key points to consider include the existing Safe Access Zones Scotland Act precedent, the £10,000 fine threshold (and unlimited fines for serious breaches), the difference between policing responses and new legislation, and the cross-jurisdictional role of the UK Home Office in asylum accommodation.

Official Information and References

For official updates and source material, readers can consult government and legislative resources. The interactive tool attached to this section will surface timelines, official statements and links in a navigable format.

Official updates from the Scottish Government can be monitored through Scottish Government (News/Updates), while UK-wide asylum policy information is published by the Home Office at UK Home Office (Asylum Policy).

For readers tracking how any proposal would relate to existing law, the text of relevant legislation—including the Safe Access Zones Scotland Act—can be found via legislation.gov.uk.

Closing statements

Swinney, signalling continued consideration rather than a settled plan, tied his stance back to the question of balancing rights after the Perth Protests.

“A suggestion has been made that we look at buffer zones,” he said, “and we’ll explore that.”