Motorcyclist dies near Chelmsford after collision on A414
Essex Police said a road closure following the incident was lifted later on Wednesday.
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Daily Mail
7 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Now shut migrant protest hotel: As demonstrators clash again in Epping, Tories demand that Labour listen to local concerns and move asylum seekers
Labour faced mounting pressure last night to shut the asylum hotel at the centre of angry protests. But ministers stayed silent as senior Tories joined demands for migrants to be removed from The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, over 'legitimate' concerns about crime. As frustrated organisers of the growing demonstrations said they would not stop until it was closed, fresh clashes broke out outside the hotel yesterday, despite a heavy police presence to separate rival groups of protesters. The demonstrations were triggered after Ethiopian man Hadush Kebatu was charged with sexually assaulting a schoolgirl just days after he arrived in Britain in a Channel dinghy. Police chiefs have already described the unrest at The Bell as a 'signal flare' for another summer of disorder. Epping Council voted unanimously last week to urge the Government to close it. But Treasury minister James Murray refused to comment yesterday when asked why the Government has not listened to the demands. He told Sky News: 'I'm not going to comment on specific cases, but I do understand people's frustration. 'And whilst, obviously, there can never be any place for criminal violence, there's absolutely a right for people to protest about this.' It came after polling found that immigration has overtaken the economy to become voters' biggest concern about the country after the NHS. The survey by Opinium found 49 per cent of people put immigration among their top three concerns – a seven-point increase since May. Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer could also come under pressure to act from Donald Trump when they meet in Scotland today, after the US President said he had 'sealed our borders' in America and urged Europe to follow suit. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp told the Mail: 'Ministers must recognise the strength of feeling from the public about this hotel, listen to their genuine and real concerns, and shut it down. 'The Government has lost control of our borders. They need to listen to the public anger on this issue and deport all illegal immigrants immediately upon arrival. 'I am furious we are being overwhelmed by illegal immigrants. What has happened at The Bell is a consequence of that.' Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch said 'agitators' were coming in to whip up trouble, telling GB News: 'The Conservatives have been calling for that hotel to be closed down, because you have to show people there is a response when they have legitimate concerns.' Kebatu, 38, is due to be tried for allegedly trying to kiss a schoolgirl as she ate pizza in Epping on July 7, eight days after he arrived in the UK. He denies sexual assault, inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity and a charge of harassment. There were more ugly scenes outside The Bell yesterday when up to 1,000 demonstrators clashed. Around 400 protesting against the migrants – mostly locals – gathered after lunch, with counter-protesters, including of pro-Palestine groups and trade unions, arriving at around 4pm, and staying for barely an hour. Despite police from 31 forces including Merseyside and Lancashire separating them, at least three people were arrested. Sarah White, 40, who organised the protest against the hotel, said: 'We won't stop. Today has been a great opportunity for our voices to be heard. We've got the message out there that we don't want these hotels. 'This, I think, has been the biggest – there's more to come. We need to feel safe – we don't currently. It's shocking. We won't stop until that hotel is closed.' Maureen Chapman, 73, said she felt 'under threat', adding: 'I have grandchildren living locally. We want this closed and we won't stop until it is. Despite police from 31 forces including Merseyside and Lancashire separating them, at least three people were arrested 'These people moaning, would they want it at the end of their street?' The Home Office said: 'The Government is reducing expensive hotel use as part of a complete overhaul of the asylum system. 'From over 400 asylum hotels in summer 2023, costing almost £9million a day, there are now less than 210. We want them all closed by the end of this Parliament. 'People rightly want to see a robust and effective asylum system and we have a duty to support people who would otherwise be destitute and sleeping rough while their case is decided.'
The Guardian
39 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Hundreds gather again at Essex asylum hotel in weekend of anti-immigrant protests
Hundreds of people gathered outside a hotel in Epping on Sunday for the fifth time to demonstrate over the premises being used to house asylum seekers, as protests spread to other hotels over the weekend. A large police presence containing officers from multiple forces restricted contact between anti- and pro-immigrant protesters, with Essex police saying restrictions were necessary after what it described as repeated serious disruption, violence and harm to the community since the first demonstration took place on 13 July. Two men were charged with public order offences after a protest of about 400 anti-immigration and 250 counter-protesters outside a hotel in Diss on Saturday, Norfolk constabulary said. There was a further protest outside a hotel in Canary Wharf in London on Sunday, with the number of protesters appearing to be in the low hundreds. The demonstration in Epping in Essex on Sunday – where as many as 500 anti-immigrant protesters gathered behind metal barriers outside the Bell hotel – was the latest in a series of protests that began after an asylum seeker was charged with sexual assault for allegedly attempting to kiss a 14-year-old girl. Hadush Kebatu, 41, from Ethiopia, has denied the offences and is in custody. Protesters wore T-shirts and held up signs bearing the slogan 'protect our kids', while others waved England flags. Other flags seen included one for Reform UK, and a white flag with a red cross on a blue square, as seen in the US at anti-abortion demonstrations. Counter-protesters held banners including one that read 'Don't let the far right divide us with their hatred and violence', and 'Care for refugees'. They chanted 'Refugees are welcome here' and 'Nazi scum off our streets'. Police said three people were arrested during the peaceful protest, two from the anti-hotel protest group and the other from the counter-protest group. 'I want to thank those who attended for the peaceful nature of both protests,' said Ch Supt Simon Anslow of Essex police. 'I am pleased that today has passed off without incident and I am grateful to our colleagues from other forces for their support.' In a letter sent to the Guardian, asylum seekers said 'harmful stereotypes' about refugees did not reflect the truth. 'There are some refugees who do not behave respectfully or who do not follow the rules of the host society. But those individuals do not represent all of us,' they said. 'As with any group of people, there are both good and bad – and it is unfair to judge the majority by the actions of a few.' The letter mentioned fleeing persecution and violence. 'We refugees are not here to take advantage of the system. We are here to rebuild our lives, to work, and to contribute,' they wrote, adding: 'This letter is not a plea for sympathy, but a call for understanding and fairness.' Outside the Bell hotel, one local woman, who did not want to be named, said residents had complained about an increase in antisocial incidents since it began housing asylum seekers but felt ignored and unfairly labelled as 'far right'. 'I'm not saying everyone in any of these hotels is up to no good. I'm not going to judge everyone, but there is no vetting,' she said. 'We won't stop until they start listening and shut this hotel down.' Activists from far-right groups including Homeland, Patriotic Alternative and the neo-Nazi White Vanguard movement have been present at previous protests. On Sunday Kai Stephens, the Norfolk branch organiser for Homeland, held a sign that said: 'Put local people first.' Stephens said: 'Unfortunately, there has to be a certain point where we turn around and say, the British people should be put first, the indigenous British people.' Supporters of the far-right activist Tommy Robinson were also present. Robinson, 42, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, had said he would attend before changing his mind and saying it would not be helpful to protesters. Other local protesters said far-right agitators were not welcome. 'It's 100% unhelpful, because it just gives them a message which is not what we're trying to achieve here,' said one man, who did not want to be named. Stand Up to Racism, the group that organised the counter-protest, estimated about 700 people had gone to Epping. Lewis Nielsen, an officer at Stand Up to Racism, said Nigel Farage's Reform UK had emboldened the far right. 'It's a really dangerous situation at the moment because you haven't just got the protest here, you've got other protests coming up around the country,' Nielsen said. 'We stopped the riots last August with these kinds of mobilisations, and that's why we're pleased the one today has been successful.' One protester, Joshua Bailey, who said he grew up in Epping, said increasing anti-immigration sentiment had made people of colour in his friend group feel vulnerable and threatened. 'It's very important that we have a positive stance towards refugees, who are people fleeing genuine tragedy and disaster.' He said he did not agree with chants that labelled protesters as fascists or Nazis. 'There is room for nuance,' he said. 'I'd like to be able to sit down in a pub with someone who had opposing views and be able to speak about it.'
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Man charged after 150mph A12 Essex pursuit
A man has been charged with driving offences after allegedly driving at more than 150mph (240km/h) and failing to stop, prompting a police Police said the motorist was driving at high speeds on the A12 on Saturday, with both its officers and Metropolitan Police colleagues pursuing the vehicle, eventually bringing it to a stop at Ongar.A 31-year-old man from Barking, east London, was charged with drink-driving, dangerous driving and failing to was bailed and is set to appear at Basildon Magistrates' Court on 4 September. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
