Six Arrested After Violent Protest Outside Epping Asylum Hotel

Over 100 demonstrators gathered outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, believed to house asylum seekers, with protests escalating into violence and six people arrested. Protesters chanted slogans such as "save our kids" and "deport foreign criminals," while bottles and smoke flares were thrown at police vehicles. An elderly counter-protester was escorted away by police after being targeted with missiles and abuse by masked demonstrators. Essex Police activated a Section 35 dispersal order and a Section 60AA order requiring the removal of face coverings, and Chief Superintendent Simon Anslow condemned the violence, emphasizing that police remain impartial and will not tolerate criminality. The unrest followed the arrest of an asylum seeker charged with sexual offences, which had initially sparked the protests. Police reported that an officer was injured and a police vehicle damaged during the clashes, and they warned that further arrests are likely as they continue to manage the situation.