22-07-2025
The Essex town hit by divisive protests over asylum seekers hotel
An Essex town has been at the centre of protests over the use of a hotel to house asylum officers have been injured and several arrests have been made near the Bell Hotel in Epping. What do local people make of the situation that has thrust their town into the spotlight?
'Not what you'd expect'
Geoff Morris, 55, owns a cafe in Epping and is concerned about the violence of the recent protests."It's a bit over the top - it's more directed at the refugees than anything else, which is a shame really," he said Epping was "quite a chilled, upmarket town - it's not what you would expect really". He added: "I'm worried the violence is going to get out of hand - it's mindless violence really."
'Enough's enough'
Barbara Frost, 65, a part-time administrator, and her husband Steve Frost 63, a company director, who attended Sunday's protest, said they understood the reasons behind the Frost said: "People have had enough."However, he made it clear he "does not condone violence". "It's totally out of order," he said. At Sunday's protest he said there was "an element from outside Epping wearing masks and some of them came in waiting to cause trouble".Mrs Frost said: "I don't condone violence but I agree, enough's enough - when we moved to Epping, it was considered a nice area."
'Shouldn't have happened'
Pauline Ashton, 77, a retired magistrate and former Epping resident, said while she was not against protests, she did have issues with the violence in the town."I don't like that - I think it's a little bit over the top and I'm not happy about the situation," she said she blamed the "anti-immigrant activists" and believed people were being brought in from "outside Epping"."Clearly people aren't happy with the number of refugees that are coming and going," she said.
'So much division and hatred'
Kerry Gilroy, a 53-year-old finance manager, said: "It's been quite upsetting... seeing how divisive it's made everything."It's a really uncomfortable feeling that there is so much division and hatred around at the moment. It doesn't feel good."She said she was not sure where to "lay the blame" and had "read a lot about why people are turning up and what they think".Ms Gilroy believes the situation has been caused by successive governments and this has been "a lightning rod about how people are feeling about the cost of living crisis". "I blame all of that - I don't necessarily blame the people [turning up at the hotel]. "It's not for me to blame. I don't agree, but I understand the anger and frustration."
The costs of policing
Essex Police has revealed the costs involved in policing the protests since Thursday night."The cost of policing criminal incidents in Epping over the last week has reached £100,000 - money which we would much rather spend on continuing to cut crime across Essex and keeping our neighbourhoods safe," the force Supt Simon Anslow added: "What we have seen in Epping over the last week is not protest, it's hooliganism and the people responsible for it can expect to be held accountable."To those who seek to use social media to peddle untruths and lies about the incidents in Epping on Thursday and Sunday, you won't win."
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