Police impose restrictions ahead of fresh protests outside migrant hotel
Stand Up to Racism counter-protesters are also due to gather from 2pm.
Essex Police said protest restrictions are necessary and proportionate, saying there has been repeated serious disruption, violence, and harm to the community.
The force said there will be a ban on anyone wearing face coverings and that there will be designated sites opposite the hotel for protesters.
A dispersal order will be in effect from 12pm on Sunday until 8am on Monday, covering Epping town centre and nearby transport hubs.
The order gives officers the power to remove anyone suspected of anti-social behaviour.
Political activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, said on his X account on July 20 that he was 'coming to Epping next Sunday … and bringing thousands more with me'.
In a later post, Robinson said he may no longer be attending.
Essex Police said that residents have reported feeling 'trapped', fearful of leaving their homes and anxious about protest activity.
Hotel residents and staff have been advised to remain indoors after 5pm as some have experienced verbal and physical harassment, including a resident chased and injured while returning to the hotel, the force added.
Essex Police said there was an 'escalation of violence' during protests on July 13, 17, 20 and 24, involving hundreds of people.
The force added that officers were assaulted, missiles were thrown, vehicles were vandalised and the hotel sustained broken windows and graffiti.
Essex Police said on Saturday that two more men have been charged and will appear in court after the disorder.
Lee Gower, 43, of High Street, Epping, was charged with violent disorder and assault by beating of an emergency worker on July 17.
He was remanded into custody and was due to appear at Colchester Magistrates' Court on Saturday.
Joshua Meadows, 18, of Sunnyside Road, Epping, was charged with failing to remove an item worn and possession of cannabis on July 24.
He has been bailed to appear at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on September 24.
It comes after 10 people were charged in relation to the disorder, Essex Police said.
Meanwhile, there was a peaceful protest outside a hotel reportedly housing migrants in Bowthorpe near Norwich on Saturday.
Norfolk Police arrested two men in their 20s on suspicion of affray following demonstrations outside hotels in Diss and Bowthorpe last week.
There have also been protests outside the Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf which is reportedly set to be used to offer temporary accommodation for asylum seekers.
The Epping protest was sparked by the charging of asylum seeker Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, with sexual assault after he allegedly attempted to kiss a 14-year-old girl.
He denied the charge at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court and will stand trial in August.
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BBC News
10 hours ago
- BBC News
Arrests after migrant hotel protests in England
Fifteen people have been arrested after protests across England outside hotels used to house groups and counter demonstrators clashed in London and Newcastle, and before a march in Manchester city centre. Nine people were arrested in the capital, seven for breaching Public Order Act conditions, the Metropolitan Police said. In an interview with the Sunday Times, Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, says she wants to "restore order and control" to the asylum system by fast-tracking the appeals process. She told the paper changes to the way appeals on asylum are handled will take place in the autumn, adding: "If we speed up the decision-making appeal system and also then keep increasing returns, we hope to be able to make quite a big reduction in the overall numbers".The Home Office has said the number of hotels being used for asylum seekers has decreased from more than 400 in summer 2023, to less than also announced plans to end the use of hotels to house migrants by 2029, which Chancellor Rachel Reeves says will save £1bn a year. A series of protests outside the migrant hotels have been taking place in recent weeks. The protest in London on Saturday was held outside of the Thistle City Barbican Hotel in Islington, with a counter-protest led by the group Stand Up To Met said the protest was organised by local residents under the banner "Thistle Barbican needs to go - locals say no".But police said it had been "endorsed by groups from outside the local community which is likely to increase the number of people attending".The MP for Islington North, former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn had urged people to join the police had imposed special restrictions ahead of the London demonstration, including setting out specific areas where each group had to remain. In Newcastle, a protest and counter-protest took place outside The New Bridge Hotel. Four people were arrested and remain in custody, according to Northumbria Police."The right to lawful protest is a key part of any democracy, which the police uphold," a spokesperson for the force said. "However, we will not accept people using them as a means to commit crime or disorder."About 1,500 people waved England and Union flags in a march organised by the Britain First group from Manchester Piccadilly rail station to outside the Central Library, where they held a 250 people were also estimated to be at a counter-demonstration led by the Stand up to Racism organisation, with police keeping the groups apart in St Peter's Manchester Police said that a "number of demonstrations passed by peacefully" with "no incidents of note". But two arrests were made during a confrontation at the start of the march, the statement added. One person was arrested for theft and the other for obstructing an arrest.
Sky News
14 hours ago
- Sky News
Rival groups face off outside migrant hotel - as asylum seekers 'blow kisses' at protesters
Several demonstrators have been detained after rival groups faced off over a hotel accommodating asylum seekers in north London, with police breaking up brief clashes. The Metropolitan Police has since imposed conditions on the protest and counter-protest outside the Thistle City Barbican Hotel in Islington. The protest was organised by local residents under the banner "Thistle Barbican needs to go - locals say no". The group of several hundred people waved union flags and banners, and one man chanted: "Get these scum off our streets." A larger group staged a counter demonstration to voice support for asylum seekers, bearing a banner that read: "Refugees are welcome." People inside the hotel, believed to be migrants, watched on, with some waving and blowing kisses from the windows. A man wearing an England football shirt was detained by police after getting into an altercation with officers. There have been nine arrests so far, seven of which were for breaching conditions police put on the protests under the Public Order Act. Rival groups separated by police Another protest was scheduled in Newcastle on Saturday, outside The New Bridge Hotel, as anti-migrant sentiment ripples through some communities around the country, also flaring up recently in Epping. 4:09 The counter-protest in London was organised by local branches of Stand Up To Racism, and supported by former Labour leader and Islington North MP Jeremy Corbyn. Other community groups including Finsbury Park Mosque and Islington Labour Party were also involved. Groups online that backed the original protest include "Patriots of Britain" and "Together for the Children". At one point, a large group of masked protesters dressed in black, calling themselves anti-fascists, appeared from a side street and marched towards the rival group outside the hotel. The two groups briefly clashed before police rushed in to separate them. Why are asylum hotels used? The government is legally required to provide accommodation and subsistence to destitute asylum seekers while their claims are being decided, most of whom are prohibited from working. A jump in the use of hotels since 2020 has been attributed to the impacts of the COVID pandemic, a backlog in unresolved asylum cases, and an increase in the number of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats. However, the number of asylum seekers living in hotels has fallen recently, from 38,079 at the end of 2024 to 32,345 at the end of March 2025, according to the Refugee Council. How police tried to keep groups apart The police imposed conditions on both groups in London to prevent "serious disorder" and minimise disruption to the community. Those in the anti-asylum hotel protest were told to remain within King Charles Square, and to gather not before 1pm and wrap up by 4pm. Those in the counter-protest were to required to stay in an area in Lever Street, and assemble only between 12pm and 4pm, but were still in eye and ear shot of the other group. Chief Superintendent Clair Haynes, in charge of the policing operation, said: "We have been in discussions with the organisers of both protests in recent days, building on the ongoing engagement between local officers, community groups and partners. "We understand that there are strongly held views on all sides. "Our officers will police without fear or favour, ensuring those exercising their right to protest can do so safely, but intervening at the first sign of actions that cross the line into criminality." Meanwhile, the protest in Newcastle was promoted by online posts saying it was "for our children, for our future". The "stop the far right and fascists in Newcastle" counter-protest was organised by Stand Up To Racism at the nearby Laing Art Gallery.
The Guardian
15 hours ago
- The Guardian
Protesters oppose one another at London hotel housing asylum seekers
Anti-racism demonstrators have turned out in large numbers outside a London hotel where asylum seekers are being housed to counter-protest against those opposed to it being used as Home Office accommodation. Both groups of protesters gathered near the Thistle City Barbican hotel in Islington, north London. The Metropolitan police said the anti-hotel protest was organised by a number of people under the banner 'Thistle Barbican needs to go – locals say no', but it has since been endorsed by groups from outside the area. Online groups that have voiced support for the protest include Patriots of Britain and Together for the Children. One speaker at the anti-hotel protest, which had a turnout of about 100 people, claimed counter-protesters had been paid by 'the Labour government and the trade unions' to attend. Some of those who gathered across the road from the hotel wore Mega (Make England great again) hats and one man was heard chanting 'Get these scum off our streets' towards the hotel. Directly outside the hotel, hundreds of people attended a counter-protest organised by Stand Up to Racism and supported by the former Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is the MP for Islington North, located on the other side of the borough. They far outnumbered the anti-hotel protesters. Some people in the hotel could be seen watching the demonstration from their windows. Sarah Bailey, 63, who is retired, held a sign that said: 'To everyone in the hotel, you are valued, wanted [and] welcome. 'I know somebody that has connections with this hotel. I thought it was so important, because I realised they would be looking out of the windows, that we send a positive sign saying you are all these three things. 'I think it's so important to show people that have come here seeking safety and protection that they are welcome and to stand up to those who scare and bully them,' she said. Pat Prendergast, 21, said: 'I want people to feel safe. I think the [anti-hotel protesters] over there are making people feel unsafe. I want to stand up in solidarity and say that, you know, we want people here.' A separate group of masked protesters, dressed in black and chanting 'we are anti-fascist', appeared from a sidestreet and marched towards the anti-hotel demonstration. Sign up to Headlines UK Get the day's headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion The Met said plans were in place to 'respond to any protest activity in the vicinity of other hotels in London being used to accommodate asylum seekers'. A protest and counter-protest was also due in Newcastle outside the New Bridge hotel on Saturday. There were also posts online advertising a 'For our children, for our future' protest in Newcastle on Saturday outside the hotel. A 'stop the far right and fascists in Newcastle' counter-protest has been organised by Stand Up to Racism at the nearby Laing art gallery. On Friday evening, about 100 people attended a protest outside the Stanwell hotel in Spelthorne. Surrey police said a packet of lit firelighters was thrown at officers at the demonstration. The force added that a man was arrested on suspicion of attempted arson and inquiries were continuing to trace another suspect.
