Arrest made as dozens gather outside Essex hotel ‘housing asylum seekers'
More than 100 demonstrators assembled outside the Bell Hotel in Epping on Sunday evening, with some chanting 'save our kids'.
Some set off flares in blue and red, while others held signs which read 'deport foreign criminals', 'we go home when they go back' and 'defend our girls'.
Bottles and smoke flares were later thrown towards police vans blocking the entrance to the hotel on the High Road.
The force said one person had been arrested and was being taken into custody on Sunday evening.
Essex Police announced, before the protest, that it would order demonstrators to remove face coverings when requested under section 60AA of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.
Anyone who refuses to remove a face mask when asked to do so is likely to be arrested and could be imprisoned if convicted, the force said.
'The right to peaceful protest is protected by law and allows everyone freedom of expression, but this must be done respectfully and if there is a risk to public order, we will act appropriately,' officers said.
It comes after a man was charged with violent disorder and criminal damage on Sunday afternoon following previous clashes outside the hotel.
Eight police officers were injured after what started as a peaceful protest on Thursday evening.
Keith Silk, 33, of Torrington Drive, Loughton, was arrested on Saturday, Essex Police said.
The force said on Sunday that the CPS had authorised police to charge Silk with one count of violent disorder and one count of criminal damage.
He was remanded into custody and will appear at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on Monday.
Thursday's demonstration was one of a series of protests outside the hotel since 38-year-old asylum seeker Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu was charged with sexual assault after an incident where he is alleged to have attempted to kiss a 14-year-old girl.
He denied the charge when he appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on Thursday.
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It concluded 12-week-old Hudson's medical cause of death was blunt head trauma and he was unlawfully killed at the hands of his father, Carl Bibby. The coroner declared: 'Hudson John Bibby was 12 weeks old. Overnight on 28th - 29th April 2023 he was placed in the sole care of his father at his home in Whitbeck Court, Newcastle upon Tyne, who subjected him to a deliberate head injury which led to his death at the scene.' While knowing the truth about Hudson's death provided some comfort to Rachel she felt cheated by the fact that Bibby could not be prosecuted. 'We knew Carl was responsible but seeing it written down by a coroner was so very important to me,' Rachel says. 'He was criminally liable but because he died the same day as Hudson, there was no one to arrest and no case to be brought to court,' Rachel says. "I wanted justice for Hudson. I am angry I couldn't get that through the criminal courts. "Carl taking his life robbed me of finding out why it all happened.' 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'So many women have messaged me and shared their story, and we have been an enormous support to one another. 'I believe that's one of the gifts Hudson gave me the chance to help other mummies and other little babies like him'. While Rachel has learned to manage her grief she still struggles to accept the loss of Hudson. 'I know time will heal but at the moment I still can't quite reach acceptance,' she says. Rachel hopes that by sharing Hudson's story she will be able to keep his legacy alive. She says: 'I will dedicate my life to Hudson's legacy and other babies that can't speak for themselves. 'I know we can prevent deaths like his, I wouldn't want anyone to suffer like he or I did. 'He might be gone but his spirit lives on in me and my children.' 8 8
