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Protesters waving rainbow flags gathered outside the Dorchester Hotel in central London today in demonstration against Brunei's anti-LGBTQ+ laws.

Around 100 people turned out to take part in the demo led by human rights activist Peter Tatchell in Park Lane on Saturday.

The display comes amid a growing backlash against hotels owned by the Sultan of Brunei in response to the nation's new Islamic criminal laws punishing gay sex by stoning offenders to death.

Mr Tatchell said if the Sultan did not revoke the laws the British Government should sever all ties with the regime.

He added: "If the Sultan will not listen to reason and compassion we believe the British Government should sever all diplomatic, economic and military ties with the regime.”

Barriers were placed around the front of the hotel and more than 100 people lined the surrounding streets, chanting and holding signs that denounced homophobia.

Some broke through these blockades and chants of “shame on you” were aimed at the building and a group were seen trying to enter.

Emily Thornberry, shadow secretary for foreign and commonwealth affairs, attended and told the crowd: “Until and unless the sultan of Brunei gets rid of these appalling laws he will continue to see demonstrations against him and the properties he owns including this hotel.”

Alex Youngs, who attended the protest, told the Standard: “there’s lots of people around now. Atmosphere is defiant, angry but of course peaceful. It’s so good to see so many turn out, I think the residents arriving to stay are a bit bemused!

Two days prior to Saturday’s protest a gay rights activist disrupted high tea at the Dorchester, standing on a table to make his point in regards to the issues in the country.

Jordan Tannahill, a Canadian writer, said down a speakerphone: “Do not condone the brutality of our brothers and sisters in Brunei.

“Boycott the Dorchester Hotel.”

He and others with him were physically removed from the establishment.

Celebrities including George Clooney, Elton John and Ellen DeGeneres have supported a global boycott of nine hotels tied to the Sultan.

The TV Choice awards also announced it would no longer be hosting its event there amid the furore, though it did not confirm its exact reasoning.

Earlier on Saturday, the University of Oxford said it would reconsider its decision to award an honorary degree to the Sultan.

In a statement on Saturday, the university said it shared the "international revulsion" at the laws.

It added the decision to confer the honorary degree of civil law by diploma to Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah in 1993 would be reconsidered through its "established process".

But it stressed no one had the right "summarily to rescind it" and added: "We also believe in due process. Just as nobody has a right to confer an honorary degree, nobody has a right summarily to rescind it.

"The decision to confer this degree 26 years ago was recommended by a committee and approved by council and by congregation at the time.

"We will reconsider this decision through our established process in light of the information now available, as other British universities are doing."