ALL asylum seekers have been moved out of the Glasgow hotel that was the scene of a bloody knife attack on Friday.
The Mears Group, which has the Home Office contract to house asylum seekers in Glasgow has confirmed the move happened on Friday night a matter of hours after a Sudanese man stabbed six people including a police officer at a city centre hotel before being shot dead by police.
Six were rushed to hospital including 42-year-old Constable David Whyte - and the 28-year-old attacker Badreddin Abadlla Adam was shot dead by police in the incident at the Park Inn hotel in West George Street on Friday.
Mears had been heavily criticised for its decision to move around 400 in Glasgow to six city hotels. It claimed it was necessary because of problems securing lets during the lockdown, which campaigners say had put the physical and mental health of asylum seekers at risk.
The SNP has joined local campaigners in calls for an urgent independent inquiry into asylum accommodation and an overhaul of the UK government's treatment of asylum seekers - following the Glasgow attack.
he suspension of the UK government's contract with Mears following the admission that the company conducted no vulnerability assessments despite previous claims.
A Mears spokesman said: "Our thoughts remain with those in hospital and others impacted by this tragedy. We are doing everything we can to provide additional support to service users.
"We immediately moved service users from the Park Inn Hotel into new accommodation on Friday night."
"Mears staff slept here also to provide additional help and support. Glasgow City Council have provided four social workers from their Major Incident Support Team to be on site.
"We are providing access to additional counselling support and to essential items such as clothing. We wish to thank our staff, the police and NHS, and the charities and support groups who have assisted with the collective and significant response. We are assisting the Police with their investigation.
"As we announced last week, we are planning to move people from hotels as soon as alternative accommodation becomes available.”
The comments came as the government came under increading pressure to carry out an independent inquiry into the treatment of asylum seekers during lockdown.
Home Office minister Chris Philp defended a move to transfer 400 asylum seekers in Glasgow into hotels in the wake of the Park Inn knife attack saying it was for "safety reasons".
Mears first came under scrutiny after the death of Adnan Olbeh, a Syrian asylum seeker who was found dead in a room in McLay's Hotel, Glasgow last month.
The homelessness charity Positive Action In Housing, are among those who are calling for a full, "fully accountable" inquiry into the Home Office procurement processes which they said led to "this deadly accommodation crisis" and the use of hotel detention.
Protests were held on Glasgow’s streets during lockdown to protest at the treatment of asylum seekers in the hotels, left with no money and complains over the quality of food.
On Wednesday, last week, No Evictions Glasgow accused "far-right groups" of trying to "hi-jack" their peaceful demonstration.
READ MORE: New questions over treatment of asylum seekers in Glasgow after Park Inn attack
A lack of social distancing, poor-quality food and no drinking water were reported by those staying at hotels after weekly financial support was removed.
On Wednesday, last week, Mears, said it did not recognise some of the concerns and said there was a “disconnect” between the worries of some campaigners and what they were being told from those in hotels.
Mears, which was awarded the £1bn government contract in 2019, admitted it was a “blanket decision” to move all asylum seekers out of their homes into hotels in March after lockdown was announced.
And after a media briefing on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Mears stated that chief operating officer, John Taylor had been wrong to state that assessments were not carried out prior to moving asylum seekers into hotels.
Alison Thewliss, the SNP Glasgow Central has called for the suspension of the UK government's contract with Mears following the admission that the company conducted no vulnerability assessments despite previous claims.
She said: "There have been two deaths in hotel asylum accommodation in Glasgow Central since the start of lockdown. My thoughts are with all the victims and their loved ones, and my thanks go to the emergency services who so bravely dealt with the attack in Glasgow last week.
"The Tory government must apologise for the treatment of asylum seekers in Glasgow and launch an urgent independent inquiry into asylum accommodation.
"SNP MPs have repeatedly raised serious concerns with Tory ministers about the treatment of asylum seekers in Glasgow - including the decision to forcibly move hundreds of refugees into city centre hotels without any consultation or financial support.
"The Home Office must now suspend its contract with the Mears Group - following the shocking admission that the company conducted no vulnerability assessments, despite previous misleading claims, of refugees including pregnant women, trafficked women, torture victims, family groups and other vulnerable people."
After a media briefing on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Mears stated that chief operating officer, John Taylor had been wrong to state that assessments were not carried out prior to moving asylum seekers into hotels.
Ms Thewliss added: "The UK government must finally work with Glasgow City Council, the Scottish Government, local organisations and refugees themselves to return them to appropriate accommodation - and there must be a complete overhaul of the treatment of asylum seekers.
"This must include the immediate reinstatement and uplift of the asylum support allowance so asylum seekers have the financial support they need.
"The Tory government must take responsibility and apologise for its treatment of refugees, which has heaped trauma onto already vulnerable people in Glasgow and across the UK."
Mears referred questions about the SNP's position to the Home Office.
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