A protester who lost his teeth during a violent demonstration outside a migrant hotel in Epping has returned to the scene after gluing them back in with Gorilla Glue. The man was filmed being struck in the face by a riot shield during Thursday's protest, which erupted after Ethiopian resident Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, was charged with sex attacks on schoolgirls.
The incident occurred as hundreds of locals gathered outside the Bell Hotel. The protest began peacefully but turned violent when anti-migrant demonstrators clashed with counter-protesters and police. Footage shows the man in a grey vest squaring up to an officer before being hit with the shield. He then looked at his hand in disbelief, clutching his teeth and showing them to fellow protesters.
By Monday, the man was back at the scene with his teeth apparently intact. He told a fellow protester: 'They're not teeth, they're implants. They've broke the implants, so I've literally Gorilla glued them in. There's no eating with them. I've got to have them put back in and it's going to cost a fortune.' He added: 'They're just glued in, so I hope no one flicks me in the mouth today because they'll come out again!'
In the aftermath of the protest, the man had shown his teeth to a camera, claiming: 'I was trying to talk to him (the riot officer) and he smashed me in the face with his shield.' He then reached into his pocket and produced a yellow highlighter, a bottle top, and two teeth. Other footage showed him furiously shouting at police after the incident.
Separate footage from the protest appeared to show a demonstrator being knocked over by a police van after protesters erected a makeshift barrier of pallets and plastic fencing. The youth who was struck got up and brushed himself off as he shouted at the convoy. Chief Superintendent Simon Anslow said: 'The events in Epping on Thursday were shocking and have no place in our neighbourhoods.'
