Anti-migrant protests continue at Epping hotel
Hadush Kebatu, 41, from Ethiopia, has denied the offences and is in custody.Police say 2,000 pro-immigration counter-protesters have started to make their way to the hotel from the town's station to a pen close to the anti-migrant protest.Some are chanting "Say it loud, say it clear - refugees are welcome here", and holding posters, banners and placards with slogans including "Unity is strength" and "Stand up to racism".As well as Essex Police, officers from the Metropolitan, Durham, Kent, Surrey, Sussex, West Midlands, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Cheshire, Dyfed-Powys & Hampshire forces are at the scene.The county force has put a dispersal order in place from 12:00 BST on Sunday to 08:00 on Monday, covering the town centre, transport hubs and networks.This gives police the power to direct anyone suspected of committing anti-social behaviour, or planning to do so, to leave the area or face arrest.Ten people have been charged with offences in relation to this month's disorder in the town, with defendants due to appear at Chelmsford Crown Court on 18 August.On Saturday, about 400 anti-immigration protesters and 150 counter-protesters gathered for a demonstration outside a hotel in the Norwich area. Police said no arrests were made there.
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The Guardian
13 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Hundreds gather again at Essex asylum hotel in weekend of anti-immigrant protests
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside a hotel in Epping on Sunday for the fifth time to protest at the premises being used to house asylum seekers, as protests spread to other hotels over the weekend. A large police presence containing officers from multiple forces restricted contact between anti- and pro-immigrant protesters, with Essex police saying restrictions were necessary after what it described as repeated serious disruption, violence and harm to the community since the first demonstration took place on 13 July. Two men have been charged with public order offences after a protest of about 400 anti-immigration and 250 counter-protesters outside a hotel in Diss on Saturday, Norfolk constabulary said. There was a further protest outside a hotel in Canary Wharf, London, on Sunday, with the number of protesters appearing to be in the low hundreds. The demonstration in Epping, Essex on Sunday – which saw about 300-500 anti-immigrant protesters gather behind metal barriers outside the Bell hotel – was the latest in a series of protests sparked after an asylum seeker was charged with sexual assault for allegedly attempting to kiss a 14-year-old girl. Hadush Kebatu, 41, from Ethiopia, has denied the offences and is in custody. Protesters wore T-shirts and held up signs with the slogan 'Protect our kids', while others waved England flags. Other flags seen included one for Reform UK, and a white flag with a red cross on a purple square, as seen in America at anti-abortion demonstrations. Counter-protesters held banners including 'Don't let the far right divide us with their hatred and violence', and 'Care for refugees'. They chanted 'Refugees are welcome here' and 'Nazi scum off our streets'. Police said three people were arrested during the peaceful protest, two from the anti-hotel protest group and the other from the counter-protest group. 'I want to thank those who attended for the peaceful nature of both protests,' said Ch Supt Simon Anslow of Essex police. 'I am pleased that today has passed off without incident and I am grateful to our colleagues from other forces for their support.' In a letter sent to the Guardian, asylum-seekers said 'harmful stereotypes' about refugees did not reflect the truth. 'There are some refugees who do not behave respectfully or who do not follow the rules of the host society. But those individuals do not represent all of us,' they said. 'As with any group of people, there are both good and bad – and it is unfair to judge the majority by the actions of a few.' The letter mentioned fleeing persecution and violence. 'We refugees are not here to take advantage of the system. We are here to rebuild our lives, to work, and to contribute,' they wrote, adding: 'This letter is not a plea for sympathy, but a call for understanding and fairness.' Outside the Bell hotel, one local woman, who did not want to be named, said local people had complained about an increase in antisocial incidents since it began housing asylum seekers but felt ignored and unfairly labelled as 'far-right'. 'I'm not saying everyone in any of these hotels is up to no good. I'm not going to judge everyone, but there is no vetting,' she said. 'We won't stop until they start listening and shut this hotel down.' Activists from far-right groups including Homeland, Patriotic Alternative and the neo-Nazi White Vanguard movement have been present at previous protests. On Sunday Kai Stephens, the Norfolk branch organiser for Homeland, held a sign which said: 'Put local people first.' Stephens said: 'Unfortunately, there has to be a certain point where we turn around and say, the British people should be put first, the indigenous British people.' Supporters of the far-right activist Tommy Robinson were also present. Robinson, 42, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, had said he would attend before changing his mind and saying it would not be helpful to protesters. Wendell Daniel, a former Labour councillor who is now a film-maker for Robinson's Urban Scoop video platform, asked one man if he understood why Robinson had not attended. He responded: 'We're with Tommy all the way.' Other local protesters said that far-right agitators were not welcome. 'It's 100% unhelpful, because it just gives them a message which is not what we're trying to achieve here,' said one man, who did not want to be named. Stand Up to Racism, the group that organised the counter-protest, estimated about 700 people had gone to Epping. Lewis Nielsen, an officer at Stand Up to Racism, said Nigel Farage's Reform UK had emboldened the far right. 'It's a really dangerous situation at the moment because you haven't just got the protest here, you've got other protests coming up around the country,' Nielsen said. 'We stopped the riots last August with these kinds of mobilisations, and that's why we're pleased the one today has been successful.' Joshua Bailey, who said he grew up in Epping, said increasing anti-immigration sentiment had made his non-white friends feel vulnerable and threatened. 'It's very important that we have a positive stance towards refugees, who are people fleeing genuine tragedy and disaster,' he said. He added that he did not agree with chants that labelled protesters as fascists or Nazis. 'There is room for nuance,' he said. 'I'd like to be able to sit down in a pub with someone who had opposing views and be able to speak about it.'
Reuters
13 minutes ago
- Reuters
UK's Starmer to convene cabinet meeting, most likely to discuss Gaza
LONDON, July 27 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will convene a cabinet meeting next week, a government source said on Sunday, most likely to discuss the situation in Gaza after coming under growing pressure to recognise a Palestinian state. The Financial Times, which initially reported the story, said ministers, currently in a summer recess until September 1, would reconvene to discuss Gaza. Starmer's office did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment. The recall comes after Starmer said on Friday the British government would recognise a Palestinian state only as part of a negotiated peace deal, disappointing many in his Labour Party who want him to follow France in taking swifter action. President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday France would recognise a Palestinian state, a plan that drew strong condemnation from Israel and the United States, after similar moves from Spain, Norway and Ireland last year. More than 220 members of parliament in the UK, mostly Labour members representing about a third of the House of Commons, wrote to Starmer on Friday urging him to recognise a Palestinian state. Successive British governments have said they will formally recognise a Palestinian state when the time is right, without setting a timetable or specifying the necessary conditions. Starmer's approach has been complicated by the arrival in Scotland on Friday of U.S. President Donald Trump, with whom he has built warm relations. In foreign policy terms, Britain has rarely diverged from the United States. Israel has been facing growing international criticism, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government rejects, over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The Herald Scotland
27 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Protesters stage demo outside hotel used to house migrants
Protesters waved union flags, while Stand Up To Racism counter-protesters marched to the hotel with signs reading: 'Stop scapegoating refugees and migrants'. Weyman Bennett, co-convener of Stand Up To Racism, told the PA news agency that volunteer security personnel accompanied them. Stand Up to Racism campaigners staged a counter-demonstration (Jordan Pettitt/PA) He added: 'We're happy to demonstrate but we're not happy to be attacked by thugs, racists and hooligans.' One man was seen being taken away from the station area by two officers, though it was not clear if he was part of any group. Members of Stand Up To Racism were seen trying to stop people from filming the protesters, as locals watched the march from their driveways. One local man was seen chanting in support of Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, as the march went past. He began shouting 'there's only one Tommy Robinson' when a protester approached him. The hotel has seen a number of demonstrations (Jordan Pettitt/PA) One Stand Up To Racism protester chanted 'fascist scum' at him before police stepped in to ensure they would not come together. Essex Police said it had established protest restrictions due to repeated serious disruption, violence, and harm to the community during previous demonstrations. The force said that there was a ban on anyone wearing face coverings and that there were designated sites opposite the hotel for protesters. A dispersal order was in effect from 12pm on Sunday until 8am on Monday, covering Epping town centre and nearby transport hubs. Both sets of protesters were kept separated by fences. The demos came after police charged a 38-year-old asylum seeker with sexual assault (Jordan Pettitt/PA) Those protesting outside The Bell Hotel in Epping chose to ignore counter-demonstrators and began singing. They sang Sweet Caroline and Come On Eileen while demonstrators from Stand Up To Racism chanted 'Nazi scum off our streets'. Essex Police said that residents have reported feeling 'trapped', fearful of leaving their homes and anxious about protest activity previously. 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. Counter-protesters also turned out (Jordan Pettitt/PA) 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. 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.
