Single male refugees arriving in Glasgow are to be redirected to other parts of the UK as part of a temporary ban, the council has confirmed.
Women, children and families will still be able to seek asylum in Glasgow as council chiefs attempt to “ease pressures” in the city.
The decision comes less than two weeks after an asylum seeker launched a knife attack on his fellow residents while be housed at hotel in the city centre.
Badreddin Abadlla Adam, 28, from Sudan, was shot dead by officers at Park Inn Hotel on Glasgow’s West George Street after he stabbed six men including three other asylum seekers, two staff and a police officer.
Police constable David Whyte, 42, has since been released from hospital following the incident on Friday, June 26 and is said to be in “good spirits”.
One other has been released and the four other men injured in the West George Street incident remain in hospital. Three are in a stable condition and one is critical but stable.
The attack has called into question the conditions faced by asylum seekers when they arrive in the city.
Campaign groups have criticised Mears the private firm subcontracted by the Home Office which moved more than 300 asylum seekers in to hotel accommodation during the coronavirus pandemic.
Activists have called for Mears to be stripped of its Home Office contract after the group admitted no assessments of individual needs had been carried out before people were transferred.
A spokeswoman for Glasgow City Council said: “Glasgow has always welcomed asylum seekers and will continue to do so.
“However, in light of the incident last Friday and the current pressures on the system, we have agreed with the Home Office that, temporarily, no one will be dispersed to Glasgow. For the moment, single males who come to Glasgow under their own steam will also be redirected to other dispersal areas across the UK.
“Glasgow will continue to welcome families, women and children who arrive spontaneously and the temporary agreement with the Home Office will be reviewed weekly.
“This will enable us to ensure we have access to the Mears’ exit strategy for asylum seekers who are currently accommodated in hotels and to ensure that appropriate plans are in place.
“This decision has not been taken lightly. It is a responsible and temporary move designed to ease some of the pressures in the city at the moment and to assist Mears to source suitable accommodation for the asylum seekers currently in hotels.”
