A third person has been arrested following violent clashes outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Essex, police confirmed on Saturday. The 33-year-old man from Loughton was detained on suspicion of violent disorder and criminal damage after Thursday evening's protest at the Bell Hotel in Epping.
Eight police officers were injured during the demonstration, which began peacefully but escalated into violence. Riot police in helmets faced crowds of men, some masked, who targeted a small counter-demonstration by anti-racism activists. Plastic bottles, eggs, and flour were thrown, and officers were directly attacked while police vans were vandalised.
Two individuals were arrested on Friday in connection with the protests. Dean Walters, 65, of Harlow, has been charged with affray following a separate protest on July 13 and is due in court in September. Another man arrested for breaching a dispersal order has been released on conditional bail.
The protest is the latest in a series outside the hotel since an asylum seeker, Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, from Ethiopia, was charged with three counts of sexual assault. Kebatu denied the offences at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on Thursday and has been remanded in custody pending a trial next month.
Chief Superintendent Simon Anslow condemned the violence, stating: 'The events in Epping on Thursday were shocking and have no place in our neighbourhoods.' He emphasised that police remain impartial and will act robustly against those disrupting peaceful protest. Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Hooper urged people not to attend future protests advertised on social media.
