
What did they think would happen? The Bell hotel has stood in the in a leafy village for decades. Dozens of migrants moved in. Then a sex assault charge sparked angry riots
'I hope they burn it down later,' a man driving a BMW shouts towards us from the High Road which leads to Epping's charming high street.
It's Thursday afternoon, and a demonstration, whipped up on local WhatsApp groups, is planned to gather outside the hotel in a matter of hours.
More cars will pass this rundown accommodation, well past its heyday but previously described as 'personality-packed', with drivers beeping and shouting 'come on England', 'f*** the migrants' and 'send them home!'
The two workmen fixing up a temporary barrier to fence off a building site directly next door are not surprised – they have been enduring taunts all day from people who think they are working at the hotel.
Such an offence would be an egregious act of betrayal to many in this leafy and rather affluent corner of the Essex commuter belt – whose nearby residents include Sir Rod Stewart and TV presenter Bradley Walsh – which over the past week has become a tinderbox and microcosm for the outrage felt nationwide about Britain's immigration crisis.
That is because The Bell is one of (at least) 220 hotels housing asylum seekers at taxpayers' expense, including those who have arrived in the UK illegally by small boat or other means.
And this month, one such asylum seeker was charged with sexual offences having allegedly left The Bell, walked onto Epping's high street and assaulted two girls aged 14 and 16 just eight days after arriving in Britain.
One of the protestors jumps up and down on a police van while wrapped in the St George's flag
News spread quickly on social media, and in the past week alone, Epping has endured two violent protests attended by hundreds.
One of the workers told the Mail: 'People have been calling us 'terrorist sympathisers' and 'traitors'. People are so angry.
'We've got nothing to do with it [the hotel]. I actually think you should claim asylum in the first safe country you pass through. But it's down to that idiot Starmer that we are where we are.'
This is the bleak reality of the government's failure to get to grips with immigration.
More than 21,000 migrants have crossed the Channel in small boats since the start of the year – a 56 per cent rise on the same period in 2024.
And in May, the National Audit Office said the government's spending on asylum accommodation is due to cost more than £15billion over ten years – three times what was originally estimated when the contracts were signed by the Conservative administration in 2019.
Last week's violence came just weeks before the first anniversary of anti-immigration riots following the Southport murders, which resulted in attempts to burn down hotels housing asylum seekers.
And on the strength of feeling displayed again this week, unless there is urgent change, it is clear things are only going to escalate.
The 79-room Bell Hotel has been home to around 100 migrants on and off since 2020, when the Home Office booked thousands of hotel rooms across the country to house migrants entering Britain as the Covid pandemic took hold.
The measure, intended to be temporary, initially lasted four years until, in January last year, it was announced that The Bell's asylum seeker contract was being terminated by the Home Office to end in April.
However, migrants began returning there earlier this year, prompting tensions – already simmering in the area – to bubble to the surface.
It is not difficult to see why emotions are running high. Epping is a tight-knit and not particularly ethnically diverse community, somewhat ironically housing many who moved from London's East End to enjoy a more rural setting.
As Tory councillor Chris Whitbread, the leader of Epping Forest District Council, said, the site is 'entirely inappropriate'.
'Placing vulnerable individuals from a wide range of cultural backgrounds into an unsupervised setting in the centre of a small town, without the proper infrastructure, support or services, is both reckless and unacceptable,' he added.
The majority of locals spoken to by the Mail were more vocal. They said they regularly see migrants leave the hotel to drink and smoke in green spaces – claiming they 'leer' at girls and young women, make sexually inappropriate comments and steal from local shops.
However it is difficult to ascertain any truth, as much of the testimony is second and third hand hearsay or spread on social media.
But against this backdrop, anti-migrant demonstrators clashed with counter-protesters outside The Bell in ugly scenes on Sunday, with two hotel security guards assaulted and left bloodied.
Police armed with riot shields form a barrier across the road following a major public order incident in Epping on Thursday
The violence came after it emerged Ethiopian-born Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, had been arrested and charged with three counts of sexual assault shortly after arriving in Britain and being housed at The Bell.
Last Thursday, he appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court, which heard he allegedly walked into Epping, put his hand on a 14-year-old schoolgirl's leg and asked for a kiss.
He allegedly asked her: 'Who wants to have a kiss and make love and have Jamaican babies?'
The following day – July 8 – he approached the same girl and tried to kiss her as well as a 16-year-old girl, the court heard.
Kebatu denies the offences and will stand trial next month.
Social media was ablaze on Wednesday evening with talk of a demonstration at the hotel the following day. At around 5pm on Thursday, crowds started to gather outside The Bell.
Inside, there was little sign of life other than security guards coming and going. A temporary metal fence had been erected since the violence first flared on Sunday evening.
Discarded beer bottles and cigarette packets could be seen on the ground outside while, surprisingly, in one bedroom window at least three bottles of Moet champagne were in view.
The protest began peacefully enough. Among the 300 or so in attendance were women and children. However the vast majority, it must be said, were burly tattooed men. A minority wore masks or balaclavas and some brought their large bull mastiff or Dobermann dogs.
Orla Minihane, a finance worker and a Reform candidate for the local council, said she was there as a mother who wants to 'protect our kids'. 'It is not about Left and Right [wing],' she said. 'The fact is that we have these men who are coming here, are not screened and we don't know who they are.
'It's not about politics, it's about local people and children that have to be kept safe. It's a parent's fundamental duty to do so.'
A retired black cab driver watching as the crowd grew larger – by now featuring young men waving Union Jack flags and a van bearing a sign saying 'protect our kids' – said he was there because 'immigration is getting worse'.
The grandfather-of-eight, 78, who declined to give his name, added: 'You have a young girl here who was allegedly accosted. We want to know what the government is going to do about its immigration policy. It's all out of order. We're not even deporting immigrants who are breaking the law. How can that be right?'
As the crowd swelled, it became clear is that – despite claims the anger is because of local issues – more overtly political factions were looking to hijack the event for their own purposes.
There were the YouTubers such as 'Brexit' Brian Stovell, who regularly protests at migrant hotels and had travelled from his home in Croydon, south London, to keep his 7,000 subscribers updated.
There was also a live YouTube broadcast from a man representing Urban Scoop, a 'news organisation' set up by football hooligan-turned-campaigner Tommy Robinson, recently released from prison after being jailed for contempt of court.
Shortly after 6pm, word began making its way through the crowd that the 'lefties' were en route – a group of anti-racism campaigners led by Stand Up To Racism (SUTR), which had arranged to meet at Epping Tube station.
Immediately, the mood changed, and it was clear many were expecting violence. As dozens of people headed in the direction of the counter-protesters, I witnessed one man wrapping his hands like a boxer.
Others wore masks and latex gloves. It felt like being catapulted into a football hooligan film as an extra.
Soon, fireworks, bottles and eggs were being thrown as dozens of police officers in riot gear were forced to surround the counter-demonstrators who were grossly outnumbered.
Weyman Bennett, a member of SUTR who attended, said: 'Britain is a peaceful country in which people should be allowed to go about their business without being attacked.'
Then attention turned on the officers themselves, with one police van having its windscreen smashed while another was stopped by the crowd as a man draped in a St George's flag clambered onto its roof.
Later, a police van was filmed driving into a demonstrator who was trying stop it from leaving the area.
Tonight, Essex Police confirmed that eight officers were assaulted in the melee and suffered a range of minor injuries. Two men were arrested on public order offences.
Assistant chief constable Stuart Hooper, drawing a distinction between the initially 'peaceful' protest and a group intent on violence, said: 'All these criminals are doing is taking away the voice of local people who want to protest legitimately and peacefully.
'With the selfish criminal behaviour we saw last night, all that happens is the voice of the community is lost, their lives are disrupted and their police officers are pulled away from the things that matter to them – investigating and preventing other crime – to deal with a mindless minority who don't give a damn about the hard working, good people of Epping.'
Council leader Mr Whitbread also hit out at the ugly scenes. 'I am deeply disappointed… some individuals chose to engage in violent and disruptive behaviour. I condemn their actions,' he said.
Feelings are now running so strong, that it seems any attempt to offer a hand of friendship to The Bell's residents is immediately shut down.
On a Facebook community page for Epping, when a woman complained about the hotel's residents being 'intimidated' and said she would 'rather live in an area where asylum seekers are welcomed and helped, than an area where people feel it's OK to threaten others who are seeking a better life', the vast majority of those who responded attempted to castigate her.
Indeed, back on Epping's high street, with its independent cafes, boutique hotel and pretty pubs, it's hard to find anyone who doesn't have concerns about The Bell Hotel and its residents.
Retired plumber Maxine, 59, said: 'It's changed the community. If that makes me racist then so be it. If people want to label me, they are being narrow-minded. I'm a decent, fair person.'
But perhaps intriguingly, away from the hearsay and venom of social media, one of the people most affected by The Bell's housing of asylum seekers – its immediate neighbour – last week said he had encountered no issues.
'I had more issues when it was a hotel,' he told the Mail. 'I've never had a problem with them. They give me no trouble at all.'
But yesterday, Neil Hudson, Conservative MP for Epping Forest, said the hotel was becoming a magnet for anti-asylum protesters across the country and called on Home Secretary Yvette Copper to shut it down 'immediately'.
Mr Hudson told BBC the situation had become 'very, very tense'.
He paid tribute to the police for attempting to keep order, but said the hotel should be shut to prevent further violence.
'The hotel needs to close immediately,' he said. 'The scenes we saw in Epping were deeply troubling and upsetting for the local community.
'We respect the right to peaceful protest, and many people were there to peacefully protest... but we had hundreds of people descending on our town, people wanting to raise violence.
'That is completely unacceptable and that is why we are calling on the Home Secretary to act now and close this hotel.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Sun
20 minutes ago
- The Sun
Our political party system is shattering and Britain could soon become ungovernable
Days before the 2015 General Election, then Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted: 'Britain faces a simple and inescapable choice - stability and strong Government with me, or chaos with Ed Miliband.' Given the decade since: six Prime Ministers, four elections, Brexit gridlock, a pandemic, a cost-of-living crisis, partygate and the mini-budget, many rightly wonder: if that was stability, how bad could chaos have been? 3 But at the time, Cameron's pitch worked, partly because many Brits feared Labour might end up governing in a three-party combo with the Lib Dems and SNP, with the late former Scottish First Minister, Alex Salmond calling the shots. Unlike our neighbours on the Continent, we aren't used to coalitions and dislike the idea of smaller parties potentially holding the Government to ransom. Fast forward to 2025 and it looks like Brits might have to get used to coalitions. Our political map has been reshaped. Fewer than half the public now describe themselves as strong supporters of any one party. The days of being 'a Labour family' or voting for 'anything with a blue rosette' are over. Voters are now far more promiscuous, shopping around to see what they like best. 3 As recently as 2017, the two main parties took over 80 per cent of the vote. That plummeted to 57 per cent in last year's election, a post-war low and our polling suggests it's fallen further still since - just 43 per cent now say they'd vote Labour or Tory. Instead, voters are turning to new emerging parties on the right and left. Last year's General Election was the first time post-war that more than three parties each won over ten per cent of the vote, and more than four won over five per cent. Why is this happening? More in Common's latest report Shattered Britain delves into what's behind our growing fragmentation. Simply put - it finds the old dividing lines of left and right no longer cut it. New political fault lines are emerging. These include whether we can fix a country many feel is broken by improving our institutions or, as 38 per cent think, we need to 'burn them all down'; whether the answers to our problems are common sense or complex; whether diversity strengthens or erodes British identity; and crucially whether we trust mainstream news or prefer independent voices online. Just as our politics is fragmenting, so too is where we get our information with a knock on effect on politics, reducing the stranglehold the big two parties have in communicating with the public. 3 None of these divides map neatly onto our existing political landscape and our First Past the Post system is struggling to cope as these new fault lines scatter Britons votes across multiple parties. More in Common's latest MRP - a model for projecting what the next Parliament might look like, helps to show how this might all play out: it suggests an election tomorrow could deliver a political map we've never seen before. Reform UK would come first on 290 seats, Labour trailing on 126, Tories barely third on 81, the Liberal Democrats snapping at their heels on 73. With 325 seats needed for a majority, the likeliest outcome would be a Reform UK–Tory coalition. But how comfortable would the Conservatives be as junior partners to Farage's Party, given the bad blood between them? Even those headline numbers hide more turbulence beneath the surface. Nearly 100 seats could be won on under 30 per cent of the vote and small shifts could flip many of them. Sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds, voting for the first time at the next election, will make up just two to three per cent of the electorate, but in tight races, that could make all the difference. With only a modest Labour recovery from midterm blues and a Reform dip, we could end up with the only viable option being a five-party coalition: Labour, Lib Dems, SNP, Greens and Plaid Cymru. How's that for a stable Government? And that's before factoring in Jeremy Corbyn's newly announced party, which our polling suggests could take 10 per cent of the vote, further muddying our electoral waters. At this stage it's fair to ask will the next Parliament be ungovernable? Maybe, but we've been here before. In 2019, the Brexit Party was topping the polls, the Lib Dems surged, and the two main parties were barely registering a third of the vote. Come election day, Boris Johnson won a stonking majority. In the early 1980s, the SDP–Liberal Alliance looked set to reshape politics, only to fall back. Still, as Britain drifts into uncharted political waters and the two main parties continue to struggle, it might be wise to use our summer holidays on the Continent to pick up a few tips on coalition-building from our European neighbours. THE UK used to be known worldwide for its stable, two party political system. The choice was binary: Tory or Labour. Elections nearly always delivered a majority government. But all that could be about to change. Old party allegiances have shattered. Our political system has become fragmented. Nigel Farage and his Reform Party have redrawn the political map and decimated the Tory vote. On the Left, Labour are being challenged by the rise of the Greens and creation of Jeremy Corbyn's far-left party. But that begs the question: is Britain about to become ungovernable? We are not used to Coalition governments - but all the evidence suggests we are about to get one. Pollsters say the most likely outcome is a Reform Tory Coalition. But can we really imagine Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch in bed together - after they have spent five years at each other's throats? The alternative is a rainbow coalition of Labour, the Lib Dems, SNP, Greens, and Plaid Cymru. That's a dizzying mix. I doubt a government stuffed with so many different political personalities and policies would last five minutes - let alone five years. The result would surely be another snap election and yet more political turmoil? The next general election is still four years away and much can happen in that time. One thing is clear - voters are desperate for Britain to break out of its current quagmire. They want politicians who can actually get things done and aren't held to hostage by their backbenchers. It's why they gave Boris Johnson a majority to get Brexit done - and took it off him again when the Tories sank into civil war. It's why they handed Keir Starmer a landslide - then sent his poll ratings tumbling when he failed to come up with a big package of reforms. If the polls stay the same then it looks like Britain is heading for more political turbulence and a coalition. But who knows? Voters may decide to gamble big and hand Nigel Farage a majority next time. I wouldn't bet against it.


The Sun
20 minutes ago
- The Sun
Charming English town is getting new £42million train station that will reopen key link shut for over 60 years
A RURAL English town has been given the green light for a new £42million train station that will reopen a vital link. After more than 60 years without a railway station, Cullompton has been granted funding by the Department of Transport and HM Treasury. 2 2 The announcement is set to turbo-charge the economy of the Devon town and provide desperately needed transport links for locals and visitors. The funding will also help to support plans for a new station in Wellington. Cullompton station first opened in 1844 and closed in 1964. The reopening will be key to enabling the Culm Garden Village development, which will create around 5,000 homes. The new station will also be next to the motorway services at Junction 28 of the M5. Councillor Jacqi Hodgson, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Biodiversity, said: 'Further investment in rail infrastructure in Devon is always welcome and this railway station for Cullompton is key to the town's economic growth and will help reduce carbon emissions in the county. "People need improved public transport options if they're going to be encouraged to change their travel habits. "Hopefully Cullompton could follow the success of Okehampton Station and the re-opening of the Dartmoor Line, which is a great example of what can be achieved given the necessary funding from government.' In April, a delegation of 30 people from the region travelled to London to hand-deliver powerful letters of support to rail minister Lord Hendy. Backed by a cross-party group of South West MPs and Wellington Town Council, the letters stressed how restoring rail links to both Okehampton and nearby Wellington could unlock major economic, social and environmental benefits. Lord Hendy said: 'The stations would contribute to sustainable development, connecting new residential areas with regional employment, education and healthcare opportunities. "The case for taking a combined approach presents significantly higher value for money compared with a stand-alone project in either area.' He added: 'Reopening Cullompton and Wellington stations would be a strategic investment aligning with the Government's goals to drive economic growth, reduce environmental impact and improve social mobility.' Economic growth Gideon Amos, who also backed the scheme, said: 'For the cost of around £42 million, £180 million of economic growth would go into the region — which I know the Government would want to see. 'Frankly, there is no other rail project in the south-west that is ready to go and could be built and completed in the next two years, as the project is so far advanced. 'In fact, had it not been for the review in July last year, the spades would be in the ground and the platforms under construction, because the contract was about to be let and the detailed design was almost finished.' And Labour MP Simon Lightwood added in the Commons: 'The strategic objectives are clear. "Enhancing public transport connectivity will support growth and productivity in Exeter, Taunton and Bridgwater, while also reducing road congestion, car dependency and carbon emissions. ' He continued: 'The stations would contribute to sustainable development, connecting new residential areas with regional employment, education and healthcare opportunities." This comes as satellite images of a new £15million train station at Okehampton were revealed. The station, which will be the newest addition to the Dartmoor Line, connecting West Devon, Torridge and North Cornwall with Exeter and beyond, will also benefit education and leisure services in the region. GWR Regional Growth Manager David Whiteway said the project would provide "valuable support for the community and local economies". Satellite images show the rapid development of the £15million scheme, which is being funded by the Department for Transport with contributions from Devon County Council and West Devon Borough Council. Since work began in January, major progress has been made to create the new station on the edge of Okehampton, two minutes from the A30. In March, 300 metres of the single-line track was moved 90cm north to allow a new platform to be built alongside it.


The Guardian
38 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Labour should allow debate about racism
Jason Okundaye's insightful response to Diane Abbott's second suspension from the Labour party points to the 'cancellation' in the public sphere of a serious and necessary debate about racism and discrimination in British society (The Diane Abbott row shows how impoverished Britain's conversations about race have become, 18 July). His considerations begin with Channel 4's Devil's Advocate, in which Darcus Howe challenged Bernie Grant MP on his call for a 'voluntary repatriation' scheme for Black people in Britain. I was Channel 4's commissioning editor, co-conceiving the format and mission of Devil's Advocate. It set out to challenge Black nationalism, which Darcus spent his life opposing, in his dedication to the postcolonial development of multi-ethnic Britain. As Jason contends, Diane simply pointed to the fact that the racism the Black population of Britain faces through skin colour is different from the undoubted discrimination experienced by other communities. Her suspension is a mystery. Diane has in fact pointed to something that Labour needs to address urgently. What precisely is the distinction between anti-Netanyahu-Zionism and antisemitism? What precisely do Black youths on the streets being challenged by the police face that white youths don't? The work of the Darcus Howe Legacy Collective continues Darcus's championing of social justice, equality and representation to provide a framework for debate and understanding of current racial and social issues. Is the Labour government unable to recognise the distinctions, formulations and policies that should follow what Diane has so modestly pointed out? If Devil's Advocate were still broadcast today, we'd invite Diane and Keir Starmer to examine why pointing out an obvious truth entails suspension from the very party that keeps us from the disaster of the Tories and the death wish of Reform. Farrukh DhondyThe Darcus Howe Legacy Collective Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.