Three men were arrested after police officers were injured during a protest outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, which houses asylum seekers. The demonstration on Friday followed a Government court victory allowing asylum seekers to remain at the Essex hotel.
Essex Police said one man was arrested on suspicion of violent disorder, a second for assaulting a police officer, and a third for drink driving after a car was driven on the wrong side of the road towards a police cordon. Two officers sustained non-serious injuries.
On Saturday, police charged two men: Ross Ellis, 49, of Harlow, with failing to provide a specimen, and Jimmy Hillard, 52, of Loughton, with assaulting an emergency worker. A third man remains in custody.
Assistant Chief Constable Glen Pavelin said: 'Protest is a democratic right... However, the right to protest does not include a right to commit crime.' He urged protesters to act safely and peacefully.
The Bell Hotel has been a focus of protests after an asylum seeker housed there was charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl, which he denies. The Court of Appeal ruling on Friday allows Somani Hotels and the Home Office to continue housing 138 asylum seekers at the site.
In nearby Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, a protest at the Delta Marriott hotel saw disorder from small groups, but no arrests were made. Broxbourne Council said it intends to take enforcement action to seek closure of the hotel for housing asylum seekers.
