Eight protesters deny blocking London road in Bibby Stockholm demonstration

Eight people have denied obstructing a road in London after protesters allegedly blocked a coach set to take asylum seekers to the Bibby Stockholm barge.

Nonki Azariah, 36; Felix Jennings, 29; Hannah Tomlinson-Roe, 27; Rebecca De Le Casas, 23; Radclyffe Baker, 26; Victor Grut, 20; Tara Loyko, 36; and Nikolai Azariah, 35; appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday all charged with one count of wilful obstruction of Peckham Road on May 2.

Grut, of Mile End, London; and Loyko, of Camberwell, London; are also accused of obstructing or resisting a police officer in the execution of duty at the same demonstration.

All eight defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The demonstration took place outside a Best Western Hotel in Peckham, south-east London.

The Bibby Stockholm, which has capacity for 500 people, was commissioned by the previous Conservative government as a means of easing pressure on the asylum system.

The barge, docked in Portland, off the coast of Dorset, has proved controversial with previous residents describing prison-like conditions and locals objecting to its location.

In July, the newly elected Labour Government announced it would end the use of the barge for housing migrants and that the contract for the boat would not be renewed past January.

The Metropolitan Police said in May that a total of 45 people had been arrested regarding the demonstration in Peckham.

Azariah, Jennings, Tomlinson-Roe, and Azariah were told they will face trial on December 10 at the City of London Court.

Baker, La Casas, Lokyo and Grut will be tried at the same court on January 7 next year.