A police dispersal order is in place in Epping, Essex, tonight ahead of a fourth day of protests, which are spreading to London and Norfolk
A police dispersal order is in place in an Essex village with an asylum hotel as one far right figure made a “national call to action”.
A fourth protest in less than 10 weeks is planned in Epping, where violent scenes have erupted after an asylum seeker was charged over the alleged sexual assault of a local girl. Anti-racism campaigners HOPE not hate say they fear the UK “could be heading to another long, hot summer of community and racial tensions”.
Protests which began at the Bell Hotel in Epping on July 13 have spread to Canary Wharf and Diss in Norfolk, with further protests planned in Norwich, Manchester and London. Local protestors have been joined by far right figures from further afield, some of them masked, including from known neo-Nazi groups.
Nick Lowles, chief executive of HOPE not hate, said: “Sadly, we fear that we could be heading for another long, hot summer of community and racial tensions. It’s clear that an arrest, an allegation or a rumour can quickly take hold, be whipped up and racialised by the far right and result in protest or violent disorder.”
It is almost a year since anti-migrant riots erupted across the country, sparked false rumours about the horrific stabbings in Southport. Successive nights of rioting took place in Bellymena, Northern Ireland, last month following the alleged sexual assault of a girl in the town.
Mr Lowles added: “It’s essential that lessons are learned from the riots last year – both by the Government and by the police. We are concerned that policing has not caught up with the new post organisation nature of the far right, where individuals can emerge and play a role on social media and inciting or directing violence, without ever being a member of a far right organisation.”
The scenes of disorder in Essex were a “signal flare” of rising unrest and expose cracks in police forces across the country, the head of a police body said today. The chairwoman of the Police Federation, Tiff Lynch, wrote in the Daily Telegraph that the disorder was “not just a troubling one-off”.
Ms Lynch went on: “It was a signal flare. A reminder of how little it takes for tensions to erupt and how ill-prepared we remain to deal with it.” She said that local commanders across the country are forced to choose between “keeping the peace at home or plugging national gaps”. Ms Lynch added: “A summer of further unrest is not inevitable. But it becomes far more likely if we once again fail to prepare.”
Essex Police has issued a dispersal order in Epping which will be in place from 2pm on Thursday until 8am on Friday, and covers an area including the town centre and transport hubs and networks such as the tube station. The order gives officers the power to direct anyone suspected of committing anti-social behaviour, or planning to do so, to leave the area or face arrest.
Essex Police arrested 16 people after a protest outside the Bell Hotel in Epping escalated into what officers described as “scattered incidents of violence” targeting police and property. Eight officers were injured and a number of police vehicles were damaged as missiles were thrown.
Six people have been charged and officers are appealing for information about two men they want to speak to in connection with the violence. 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.
At previous protests last week, there were individuals from neo-Nazi groups like The Homeland Party and Blood and Honour, as well as former Combat 18 and For Britain members. A further protest is planned for this Sunday with some calls for Far Right online influencer Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who calls himself Tommy Robinson, to attend. One of those behind the Epping protests, Callum Barker of the neo-Nazi Homeland Party, has posted a “National Call to Action”, urging anybody who lives near asylum seeker accommodation to protest across the country.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has called for Essex Police Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington to resign over “absolutely disgraceful” claims his force transported left-wing protesters to the Bell Hotel in Epping. However, a spokesman for the force said those claims were “categorically wrong”, adding: “Officers did provide a foot cordon around protesters on their way to the protest, where they and others were allowed to exercise their right to protest. Later, some people who were clearly at risk of being hurt were also escorted by vehicle away from the area for their safety.”
Nick Lowles of HOPE not hate said: “Agitators like Nigel Farage have been quick to jump on this local issue but it’s clear that their words do nothing to help the victims or the residents of Epping. Reform UK councillors have become involved in anti-migrant protest this week and in many cases, they seem happy to stand alongside individuals from parties that they often claim are much more extreme than them.”
He added: “It’s essential that proactive steps are taken to reduce tension and the potential for trouble. We can’t just oppose these protests, politicians need to listen, to understand the concerns of communities and offer practical solutions. Fundamentally, we’ve got to give communities hope that their day to day lives are getting better, otherwise we are just driving people in the hands of the far right.”