Five people have been arrested after more than 1,000 demonstrators gathered outside a hotel in Essex believed to be housing asylum seekers, police said. The protest outside the Bell hotel in Epping on Sunday evening saw demonstrators chant 'send them home' and 'save our kids' while bottles and smoke flares were thrown towards police vans blocking the entrance.
Officers had warned they would 'deal robustly' with criminal behaviour, and an order threatening arrest for anyone refusing to remove face coverings was in place. Public order vans were stationed nearby after eight officers were assaulted on Thursday and police vehicles were damaged.
Police said they had taken the decision to temporarily close Epping High Road due to the large number of people. A 33-year-old man has been charged with violent disorder and criminal damage, while a 65-year-old man was earlier charged with affray and will appear in court in September.
Far-right activists, including members of Britain First, were among the crowd. Tensions have been high in Epping following the appearance in court of an asylum seeker charged with sexual assault, which he denies. Local Conservative MP Neil Hudson called for the hotel to be closed, describing the violence as 'completely unacceptable'.
