Two people have been arrested and eight police officers were injured after a protest outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, which houses asylum seekers, descended into violence on Thursday evening. A crowd of men, some wearing masks and balaclavas, were seen squaring up to officers, throwing bottles and jumping onto police vans.
Far-right activists with banners and loudspeakers had joined local residents, including women and children, gathered outside the hotel. Officers from Essex Police were mobilised as a counter-demonstration by Stand up to Racism was surrounded by groups of men. Some protesters used fireworks and threw eggs, and a section of High Road was closed for public safety.
Police said they also faced “significant hostility” in Epping town centre, with the Met Police and British Transport Police called in to assist. Dean Walters, 65, of Harlow, has been charged with affray following an alleged assault near the hotel on Sunday and released on bail. Another man was arrested for failing to comply with dispersal orders and remanded in custody.
Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Hooper of Essex Police said: “Eight of my officers… were assaulted last night and that is absolutely, totally unacceptable. They had injuries to their hands and cuts and grazes.” He added that there were “no reports of anyone actually breaking into the hotel last night”.
Chief Superintendent Simon Anslow said those responsible for the crimes “do not represent Epping or Essex” and that detectives are reviewing footage from bodyworn cameras, drones and social media. He thanked those who protested peacefully earlier but vowed action against offenders.
The unrest follows an incident on Sunday when two security guards were seriously injured after being attacked by a group of men during an earlier protest; initial investigations suggest the offences were “racially aggravated”. Two local MPs and Conservative council leader Chris Whitbread have called for an end to the Bell Hotel being used to house asylum seekers. Tensions flared ahead of the latest court appearance of Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, an asylum seeker charged with three counts of sexual assault.
