‘Boiling over’: how migrant protests split apart Epping

Holly Evans and Nicole Wootton-Cane speak to locals about the violent demonstrations that have scarred the Essex town

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As smoke flares filled the air during violent protests and heavy-handed clashes with police, the historic market town of Epping found itself at the centre of intense media attention for all the wrong reasons.

Just two days after the latest demonstration, which saw hundreds gather outside the Bell Hotel in Essex, which is used to house asylum seekers, the mood has substantially quietened. But locals remain divided over the events that sparked the unrest that has plagued the former royal hunting ground for the past 10 days.

While many who have protested against the use of migrant hotels have remained peaceful, holding signs reading “I’m worried about my kids”, others had different intentions, with smoke flares thrown towards police vans and eight officers in riot gear being forced to retreat, injured.

The local Conservative MP Dr Neil Hudson has called for the dilapidated Bell Hotel to close. He said: “This is a crisis that is boiling over, and for the safety of our community, the government must get a grip on this situation now, and they must listen and act quickly to close the hotel. I continue to call on the government to immediately close the Bell Hotel, and I have raised this urgently in the House of Commons Chamber.”

The violence was sparked when Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, a 38-year-old Ethiopian asylum seeker reportedly living there, was charged with three counts of sexual assault after allegedly attempting to kiss a 14-year-old girl.

He denied the charges at Chelmsford magistrates' court last Thursday and has been remanded in custody. But his court appearance failed to dampen local outrage. Around 1,000 people gathered outside the 79-room hotel on Sunday, with six people arrested and bottles thrown towards police.