The Archbishop of Canterbury says the scheme should be paused to consult with local people.
About 100 demonstrators marched to Portland Port, where the government-commissioned vessel - Bibby Stockholm - is contracted to be berthed for 18 months initially.The Home Office said the barge would "offer better value for the British taxpayer than expensive hotels".
The archbishop told the BBC it was "very clear" from a breakfast meeting with more than 100 community leaders from across the area that there had been "little or no consultation - very inadequate consultation - with local people".Describing the British people as "deeply hospitable, welcoming, generous and compassionate", he said: "But they can't be expected to be when this is just done to them - not with them - that is the biggest problem.
He added: "In an ideal world, they [the government] would suspend the relocation of the barge here while a task group was put together from the Home Office to come and listen to local people and work with local people until a point where everything was in place and concerns had adequately been dealt with.
He said he did not object to the principle of asylum seekers being held on a barge but said it should be done in a way that is "just and fair" to the asylum seekers and local communities.
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