Refugee family left 'homeless' as police investigate alleged assault at hotel putting up asylum seekers
A refugee father and his family have been left 'homeless' following allegations he was assaulted at a hotel housing asylum seekers. Shay Babagar, his wife and daughter have been sofa surfing since leaving the hotel in November.
The human rights activist went on hunger strike in November to highlight the alleged conditions asylum seekers are facing at hotels. Allegations of assault at the hotel where Shay's family were housed were reported to the police while he was in hospital. The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands that Migrant Help UK offered new accommodation for the family in Liverpool following the protest with help from the Home Office and Stockport council staff. But campaigners say the family was taken to a hotel in Manchester, which they refused to enter.
A statement added: "No evidence was ever provided by the asylum seeker to support this allegation and we have provided evidence to the ongoing Judicial Review to disprove that this ever occurred." "We're working closely with Migrant Help UK and the Home Office to resolve this issue. As a local authority, we want to help people that need our support but are bound by the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, with the duty to provide accommodation for Asylum seeking families lying with the Home Office.