A number of Channel 5 viewers have flooded social media with their furious reactions following a debate on the talk show, Jeremy Vine, today.
The presenter was joined by broadcaster and writer Jemma Forte as well as Samuel Kasumu, former special advisor to Boris Johnson, for the discussion about the unrest that emerged from the demonstrations.
Police were forced to intervene when clashes ensued between protestors and counter-protestors in Epping, Essex, as hundreds gathered to protest a migrant hotel in the area.
“I suppose the last summer of rioting was over the Southport killings, and Axel Rudakubana and all of that, and there was some false information in the mix,” Vine said as he kicked off the debate.
“This starts with a genuine anger against a person who’s alleged to have assaulted a child, which is pretty serious. And we have to hope, I suppose, we don’t have flashpoint incidents like that.”
Forte weighed in, initially agreeing with the sentiment held by the protestors. “Of course it is. Yeah, and we can all agree that that is disgusting and wrong, and we don’t want that, and we want that person dealt with,” she began.
However, she quickly turned on the protestors: “But the trouble is, there is also an angle where it gets weaponised for other agendas, and the misinformation thing is really, really worrying.
“So if you’re spreading stuff around on Facebook, as was done by Tommy Robinson, I believe, started it, saying, ‘They’re all in this hotel, get down there!’ And then it’s completely false. And then also within that, like, actually how does that help?”
Forte’s analysis continued: “And there’s also a difference between protest and rioting. If you’re rioting, and you’re throwing things at the police, and you’re punching people, or you’re damaging things, or you’re throwing stuff with fire in them, or you are threatening people that have nothing to do with it, then that isn’t protest; that is rioting.
“So, yeah, it’s a hot mess, and I don’t know where they start, but I guess they have to start with the… And also, when you’ve got groups like the EDL, you’ve got groups like the splinter group from the Patriotic Alliance, they’re the far right…”
“You think they’re there?” Vine asked, which prompted Forte to emphatically reply: “Yes!”
He chipped back in: “That’s the key thing, because Mr Farage said, look, this is actually a lot of honest local families who are picnicking and having a protest at the same time.”
“The trouble is when it gets weaponised for other agendas and misinformation.”@jemmaforte highlights the presence of far-right groups at migrant hotel demonstrations, saying there’s a difference between protesting and rioting.@samuelkasumu | @theJeremyVine | #JeremyVine pic.twitter.com/9e5DiQFQgM
— Jeremy, Storm & Vanessa On 5 (@JeremyVineOn5) July 24, 2025
Kasumu offered his thoughts: “Yeah, I wouldn’t go as far as them being honest local families, but certainly people who maybe are genuinely upset about the situation and who have decided to come and make their feelings heard, who are not extremists.
“But, the challenge for the police is there will always be extreme groups, both on the left and the right, who decide to attend protests.”
Vine then referenced the attention the Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf has received after being touted as a potential asylum hotel.
“Even this hotel thing, you see that information is so contested, if you look at the papers today, it suggests that they’re going into a four-star hotel in Canary Wharf,” Vine said.
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He went on: “If you look, a lot of people are now talking about this hotel, the Britannia Hotel. Actually, it looks, to me, that does look swanky, I’ve got to say, it may well be four-star, and it hinges on whether it’s got a vending machine and reception, I think.”
Kasumu delivered a scathing verdict of Canary Wharf being used as a potential base for the next asylum hotel.
He said: “Going into Canary Wharf… housing asylum seekers, or whoever they are, in Canary Wharf is not reading the room. Somebody with common sense would say, Do not take them to Canary Wharf.”
“Because Canary Wharf itself is posh, you mean?” Vine asked, prompting Kasumu to explain: “Everything that it signifies does not allow for good optics.”
Vine weighed back in: “Because I saw people saying, that hotel is a shambles, their rating on Google is 2.6, and although there have been some good reviews, the cheapest room is £30 a night. And I’m thinking, I don’t know what to believe now.”
Forte once again agreed with the “optics” point of the argument before taking aim at the protestors’ aims once more.
“Also, Canary Wharf is largely empty a lot of the time, in the evenings and the weekends. And I agree, you don’t want lapper luxury, the optics are terrible, but what people don’t want is the immigrant hotels in their local towns,” she began.
“(But) at the moment, there’s nobody in that Britannia Hotel, is there? There isn’t actually a migrant in the Britannia Hotel at the moment, and yet it’s front page and all those things.”
Kasumu explained why there may be such animosity toward the idea, however. “They were preparing for them to come. The thing about Canary Wharf is, it’s in Tower Hamlets, lots of deprivation and also wealth in the same place,” he said.
“I totally get that, for a long time, it was the poorest borough in London.
“But we know that people are going to weaponise lots of images over the course of this summer. Don’t take people to Canary Wharf.
“It may well be a shoddy hotel, but it’s a very poor political thing to do. If the Home Secretary was aware, if her special advisers or her team were aware, then that’s a failure on their part.”
It didn’t take long for viewers to share their thoughts on the debate, particularly with the men and women who attended Epping to protest being branded “far-Right” and with Tommy Robinson coming under fire.
One X user was less than impressed with Forte’s take on the issue, sharing a series of yawning emojis and writing: “Far right groups. She really is tiresome. Doesn’t she know that narrative doesn’t work anymore? It didn’t work for Two Tier Kier.”
A second took issue with Forte using Robinson in her rant. “@jemmaforte, it’s YOU that’s spreading misinformation, trying to blame @TRobinsonNewEra again!!! Proof of your allegations would be VERY helpful,” they fumed.
A third agreed: “Jemma, get your facts right, stop inciting hatred, nothing to do with Tommy Robinson.
“This is angry women whose daughters have been attacked by illegal criminals. Do you support this? What if it was your daughter? Cannot believe your attitude.”
Meanwhile, a fourth hit back: “Forte again, it’s all Tommy’s fault and Farage. Get your head straight for a change and read the room, you left-wing clown.”
And another also blasted Forte’s claims, typing: “Troublemaker… nothing to do with Tommy. I guess not in your backyard, so you don’t care young girls being attacked.”
Elsewhere, another viewer raged: “Wow, almost like she’s reading that off a script….oh wait!” (sic)