2 days ago
'Two tier' Keir Starmer is accused of 'trying to police opinions' as elite team of cops told to monitor anti-migrant social media posts
Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of 'trying to police opinions' by assembling an elite team of police officers to monitor growing anti-migrant sentiment online.
Detectives are set to be drawn from forces around the country as the Government scrambles to crack down on potential violence by flagging up early signs of civil unrest on social media.
It comes amid fears Britain could face another summer of disorder just 12 months after a wave of riots sparked scenes of chaos following the Southport murders.
Earlier this month, demonstrations first flared up outside The Bell Hotel, in Epping, Essex, after an Ethiopian asylum seeker was charged with sexually assaulting a schoolgirl, but protests have since spread to other parts of the country.
The new police division, assembled by the Home Office, will aim to 'maximise social media intelligence' after police forces were heavily criticised for their handling of last year's riots which quickly spread across the country.
Angela Rayner last week warned the Government needs to address the 'real concerns that people have about immigration'.
But critics say the social media crackdown is 'disturbing' and raises concerns for free speech. It also comes after footage emerged of Essex Police escorting pro-migrant protesters to the Epping hotel before clashes broke out.
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, told The Telegraph: 'Two-tier Keir can't police the streets, so he's trying to police opinions instead.
'They're setting up a central team to monitor what you post, what you share, what you think, because deep down they know the public don't buy what they're selling.'
The new police unit, called the National Internet Intelligence Investigations team, will work out of the National Police Coordination Centre in Westminster.
The backlash to the plans has reignited anger over a judge's decision to jail Lucy Connolly, a mother-of-one who is married to a Conservative councillor, for 31 months over a racist tweet after the Southport murders.
While police will be monitoring what's being said online, officers are also being deployed on the streets.
Protesters and counter-protesters from Stand Up to Racism are due to gather outside The Bell Hotel again today, with more demonstrations planned at other migrant hotels including in Wolverhampton, Cheshire and Canary Wharf.
Political activist Tommy Robinson said on X on July 20 that he was 'coming to Epping next Sunday... and bringing thousands more with me'. But in a later post, Robinson said he may no longer be attending.
Over the weekend, angry crowds have gathered in Norwich, Leeds, Portsmouth, Bournemouth, Southampton and Nottinghamshire - with counter-protesters fighting back by insisting 'refugees are welcome'.
With a fresh round of demonstrations expected on Sunday, Essex Police have imposed restrictions to curb any violence or disorder, saying it is necessary and proportionate.
The force said residents have reported feeling 'trapped', fearful of leaving their homes and anxious about protest activity.
There will be a ban on anyone wearing face coverings and 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.
Hotel residents and staff have been advised to remain indoors after 5pm as some 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.
There have also been protests outside the Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf which is set to be used to offer temporary accommodation for asylum seekers.
A major protest is planned outside the four-star hotel in London's financial district again today.
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.
Protests against migrant hotels have escalated this weekend with tense stand–offs in Norwich, Portsmouth, Bournemouth and Leeds on Saturday.
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside The Best Western Brook Hotel in Bowthorpe, Norwich, chanting 'we want our country back' and ' Keir Starmer 's a w*****'.
Police officers separated the main group from a set of counter protesters, some of whom were waving Revolutionary Communist Party flags.
Three masked anti–racism activists tried to force their way in at one point, causing angry scuffles.
The hotel – one of two Norwich sites used by the Home Office to house migrants – has been the focus of fury since April when a 'predatory' asylum seeker staying there was jailed for more than eight years for raping a woman.
In Leeds, some protesters set off red and blue coloured flares while others draped in Union Jack flags scuffled with police.
In Portsmouth, more than 40 anti–immigration demonstrators confronted almost 30 activists holding Stand Up to Racism placards outside the Royal Beach Hotel on Friday evening.
Some on the anti–immigration side hung a banner which said 'protect our children' outside the hotel.
Protesters also gathered outside the Chine Hotel in Bournemouth on Friday night. Demonstrators waved signs with slogans including 'bring back Rwanda', 'two–tier Keir, two–tier policing' and 'it's not racist, it's a national security risk'.
When two migrants arrived with their belongings in bin bags, some chanted 'send them back'.
Angry protests also took place in Leeds on Friday outside another asylum–seeker hotel, with demonstrators shouting 'get back in your rubber dinghies' to those inside.
Officers made a defensive cordon as crowds waving Union Jacks surrounded the Britannia Hotel, in the city's Seacroft area.
Earlier this week, protesters descended on the Norfolk market town of Diss amid Home Office plans to change a migrant hotel from housing families to single adult men.
Two men have been charged with public order offences after the protest, Norfolk Constabulary has said.
They were arrested on Saturday after police reviewed footage from both sides of a protest that took place on Denmark Street on Monday, the force said.
James Harvey, 22, of Linden Drive, Hethersett, has been charged with a racially aggravated public order offence.
Luke Sharman, 23, of Harcourt Close, Norwich, has been charged with a racially aggravated public order offence and possession of cannabis.
