PROTESTERS gathered outside the Home Office in London on Saturday to call on Suella Braverman to stop stirring up hatred and fear.

Campaigners from Stand Up To Racism and members of the PCS union expressed their anger at the Home Secretary’s comments on refugees and homeless tents in public spaces.

Ms Braverman, who is currently visiting the Greek island of Samos, said on Saturday that she wants to put a stop to the “nuisance and distress” caused by homeless people pitching tents on public streets.

Writing on X, she said: “We will always support those who are genuinely homeless.

“But we cannot allow our streets to be taken over by rows of tents occupied by people, many of them from abroad, living on the streets as a lifestyle choice.”

Stand Up To Racism co-convener Weyman Bennett said Ms Braverman should “put some handcuffs on herself and hand herself in to the nearest police station.”

“If you’re a refugee you have a right to claim asylum, if you’re homeless and you’re freezing to death, a tent is a good idea,” he said.

James Cox from the PCS said: “It’s really important that the people who are doing the work have their voices heard. We want to run an immigration system that cares for the most vulnerable.

“Our members felt strongly that their job in the Channel was to actually rescue people, not to try and create a dangerous environment.”

On the Home Secretary’s comments on tents in public spaces, Mr Cox said: “There’s a political aim to dehumanise people and create a scapegoat in society.

“These people are the most vulnerable: our aim should be to make sure they can integrate into society.”

In a statement, the PCS said the protest was “against the use of scapegoating language by the government, and in particular Home Secretary Suella Braverman, that is stirring up hatred and fear, creating division and opening the door to racists and the far right.”

Speaking to reporters from Samos, Ms Braverman claimed today that there was a “huge amount to learn” from Greece in how the European country has cut the numbers of asylum-seekers arriving on its shores.

Greece is notorious for its pushback tactics — sometimes fatal — for refugees trying to reach Europe by boat.