A BOMB scare at a hotel accommodating refugees is proof that giving a platform to racist and misogynistic comedy is far from harmless, anti-racist campaigners said today.

North Yorkshire Police confirmed that a bomb scare at the Grand Hotel in Scarborough, which houses refugees, turned out to be a hoax on Monday.

Caitlin Webb-Ellis of the Whitby Says No campaign was forced to cancel a peaceful demonstration against a performance by comedian Roy Chubby Brown, who is notorious for “jokes” widely slammed as racist, sexist and homophobic, in the neighbouring town following threats of violence.