Unrest in Essex: anti-migrant protests escalate into attacks on police

Two people were arrested after a so-called "anti-migration" march in Epping, Essex, descended into violence on Thursday.

A section of the road near the Bell Hotel in Epping was closed as hundreds of protesters clashed with police, with some climbing on top of police vans and trying to smash their windows, forcing several vans to drive away from the protest. 

Other protesters started setting off fireworks and throwing eggs at the large police presence, which included dozens of riot police officers.

Essex Police say eight officers were assaulted during the protest.

The crowd gathered for the second time in days after an asylum seeker allegedly housed in the hotel was accused of sexual assault.

Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, was charged with three counts of sexual assault, one count of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity, and one count of harassment without violence.

Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Hooper, Essex Police, told reporters: "Whether it be our police vehicles being damaged, our officers being assaulted, we’ll make sure that those people feel the full force of the law."

It was put to the officer that protesters had discussed on social media about returning to the hotel during the weekend.

Large crowds of anti-immigration protestors clashed with cordons of police who tried to separate them from anti-hate counter-protestors. Picture: Alamy

ACC Hooper said: "What I can say is there is a policing operation to make sure we understand what’s going on to our community, I want to reach out to our community members - if you’re hearing about what’s going on, what’s maybe being said in the community, please report us to it, because that’s really important.

"But I will re-emphasise that we will be there with our community, supporting our community, and you will see us about."

Kebatu’s offences are alleged to have taken place just eight days after Kebatu arrived in the UK by boat on June 29.

The defendant, from Ethiopia and now of Epping, was remanded in custody after a hearing at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on Thursday. He denies any wrongdoing.

The altercation occurred outside The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, following an asylum seeker’s accusation of sexual assault last week. Picture: Alamy

Thursday’s protest included hundreds of people, including women and children, but a more organised group joined them later bringing loudspeakers and banners reading “protect our kids”.

Others held placards demanding undocumented migrants be deported “to ensure the safety of our women and children”.

A counter-protest organised by Waltham Forest Stand Up To Racism also gathered outside the hotel, as riot police formed a line to separate the groups.

Counter-protesters held signs reading: “Refugees Welcome: Stop The Far-Right”.Police later moved in as far-right protesters surrounded the counter-protest, and masked men began pelting the counter-demonstrators with plastic bottles.

But as the evening progressed and the counter-protest left the area, clashes erupted between angry protesters and police, with footage of damaged police cars and officers being pelted with projectiles.