Riot police were deployed to the Essex town of Epping on Thursday after far-right supporters attacked police following a protest outside a hotel used to house asylum seekers. The demonstration, attended by hundreds of people, had initially passed off peacefully before violence broke out later in the day.
Local residents, including women and children, had gathered alongside far-right activists carrying loudspeakers and banners. Clashes later erupted when crowds of men, some masked, surrounded a smaller counter-demonstration by anti-racism activists. Protesters threw plastic bottles, eggs and flour at police and counter-demonstrators, with children believed to be in their preteens among those launching projectiles.
Essex Police said suspects had been identified for vehicle damage, assault on officers and vandalism. The force had earlier warned that criminal violence would not be tolerated. A man was arrested on suspicion of affray after damage was caused to the Bell hotel and racial abuse was shouted outside it. The assaults on two security guards on Sunday were being treated as racially aggravated.
Tensions in the town were heightened by the court appearance on Thursday of an asylum seeker charged with sexual assault. Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, from Ethiopia, denies three counts of sexual assault and was remanded in custody. An anti-racism demonstration took place near the railway station, and hundreds later gathered outside the hotel, where a banner read “Protect our kids”. Activists from Britain First were present.
Two Conservative MPs, Neil Hudson and Alex Burghart, called for the hotel to be closed, describing the situation as “increasingly alarming”. Weyman Bennett of Stand Up To Racism said a peaceful demonstration had been attacked by the far right. Enver Solomon of the Refugee Council urged an end to the use of asylum hotels, while a Libyan asylum seeker at the hotel said he and others felt safe.
