Protests broke out at a Canary Wharf hotel last night when demonstrators found out migrants were being housed there.
The protesters and counter-protests at the Britannia Hotel were met by the Metropolitan Police who were attempting to restore order.
Scenes settled down several hours later, but the uneasy atmosphere rattles on today with police still at the hotel.
The protests come just days after demonstrations at a hotel in Epping where asylum seekers are also being homed.
Police are holding a conference for that incident today at 1:15PM.
Follow here for the latest details
Essex Police end press conference
14:44 , Nuray BulbulThe Essex Police have wrapped up its press conference. However, this live blog will continue with the latest updates.
"All I am asking is for responsible reporting, responsible commentary"
14:26 , Nuray BulbulThe chief constable of Essex Police said: “It is not for me to silence or to try and mute any legitimate voice, elected or otherwise. That is not the policing space.
“My job is to make sure people are safe... all I am asking is for responsible reporting, responsible commentary so that we don’t make that job more difficult.
“It is not the police’s job to clamp down on elected politicians. Freedom of speech is as important to a protester as it is to government and to any person who wants to have a view.”
Essex Police Force "will have a robust policing operation" against next protests
14:17 , Nuray BulbulIn a message to worried parents, Ben-Julian Harrington said: “I say to those parents we will have a robust policing operation.
“Essex is safe. You will have hundreds of officers on duty.”
Essex Police chief rejects claims that pro-migrant protesters are getting the special treatment
14:04 , Nuray BulbulEssex Police chief says the force are not being partial in “any way, shape or form”.
He said: “The only protection that officers have given is to those lawful and law-abiding people, whether they are in that accommodation, whether they are the people of Epping or whether they are people who are standing there... with placards and banners wishing to make a very important and legitimate view, whichever your views about it.
“Where officers have intervened that is because there has been disorder. We are not being partial in any way, shape or form.”
Essex Police Chief says he won't resign
14:01 , Nuray BulbulBen-Julian Harrington, the chief constable of Essex Police, announced at the press conference he will not be resigning.
“I am not going to do that. This is not about me, this is about the communities of Essex.”
He added: “The issue is not about my resignation. The issue is about effective police operation that keeps the communities of Epping safe.”
This comes after Nigel Farage called on Ben-Julian Harrington to resign.
"It is not for Essex Police to make a judgement about asylum or immigration policy"
13:52 , Nuray BulbulBen-Julian Harrington told at the press conference: “I also want to be really, really clear: It is not for Essex Police to make a judgement about asylum or immigration policy.
“That is for government. It is for Essex Police and the police more generally to make sure that people can go about their rights and business lawfully.”
10 people who have caused "fear and disruption to the people of Epping" have been arrested
13:49 , Nuray BulbulThe press conference is now underway.
Ben-Julian Harrington, the chief constable of Essex Police, said 10 people have been arrested.
He said: “What has been unacceptable has been the people who have come to Epping and committed violence , who have attacked people who work at the hotel, who have attacked officers, who have damaged property and who have caused fear and disruption to the people of Epping.
“That is not tolerable, it will not be tolerated, and to that end we have made 10 arrests.”
More than 1,000 people attended hotel protests
13:39 , Nuray BulbulOver 1,000 people have attended the anti-immigration protests across July 13, 17 and 20.
Essex Police to hold a press conference this afternoon
13:22 , Nuray BulbulThe force acknowledged overnight that it had escorted pro-migrant protesters to the Bell Hotel in Epping.
Amid allegations by anti-migrant demonstrators that the arrival of counter-demonstrators triggered violence on July 17, it first denied that it had invited activists from the organisation Stand up to Racism to the location.
Video of the demonstrators being led by police from a nearby station to the hotel caused it to retrace its steps.
Nigel Farage calls for Ben-Julian Harrington, the chief constable of Essex Police to resign
13:14 , Nuray BulbulIn response to protests outside a migrant hotel in Epping, Nigel Farage has requested that Ben-Julian Harrington, the chief constable of Essex Police, resign.
The leader of Reform UK called the video showing police officers taking demonstrators who supported immigration to the hotel "absolutely disgraceful."
🚨 BREAKING NEWS 🚨
— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) July 23, 2025
This video proves @EssexPoliceUK transported left-wing protestors to The Bell hotel in Epping.
There is no way Chief Constable BJ Harrington can stay in position. pic.twitter.com/tN07UFEGca
Tommy Robinson has suggested he may make an appearance on Sunday
13:05 , Nuray BulbulThe English Defence League's founder, Tommy Robinson, has hinted that he will show up to Sunday’s protests.
Shadow communities secretary Sir James Cleverly: “I understand the desire to protest.
12:45 , Nuray BulbulShadow communities secretary Sir James Cleverly reveals his opinions in a statement:
“There is never ever any excuse for rioting and we are seeing that agitators of both the Left and the Right are descending upon these communities to try to stir things up.
“There is never an excuse for that.
“But I do understand why local people are frustrated.”
More pictures of police presence at the hotel
12:25 , Nuray Bulbul
Keir Starmer fears repeat of summer riots
12:05 , Nuray BulbulSir Keir Starmer is urging governments to act immediately to fix "fraying" Britain because he fears a recurrence of the riots from last summer.
Amidst a series of protests outside taxpayer-funded hotels housing asylum seekers, the prime minister told his Cabinet that it was critical to mend Britain's "social fabric."
Additionally, he stated that there is a need to enhance cultural blending in communities that have seen significant migration.
Reform UK chief whip Lee Anderson "furious"
11:42 , Nuray BulbulReform UK chief whip Lee Anderson said he was “absolutely furious” in a video taken near the hotel.
Canary Wharf.
— Lee Anderson MP (@LeeAndersonMP_) July 22, 2025
The International Hotel is now in lockdown as they prepare for an influx of illegal migrants.
500 rooms here.
What are we playing at? pic.twitter.com/tDXOZdzXzX
Several charged with violent disorder after protests at the Bell
11:23 , Nuray BulbulJonathan Glover, 47, of Springfields, Waltham Abbey, Stuart Williams, 36, of Duck Lane, Thornwood, Epping, Keith Silk, 33, of Torrington Drive, Loughton, and Dean Smith, 51, of Madells, Epping, have been charged with violent disorder and are due to appear at Chelmsford Crown Court on August 18.
Williams and Smith have been remanded in custody, while Glover and Silk are on conditional bail, Essex Police have said.
A fifth man, Joe McKenna, 34, of Highcliffe Road, Wickford, is charged with failing to remove a face covering when told to do so and remains on bail until a hearing at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on September 24.
What happened at Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex?
11:13 , Nuray BulbulA timeline of everything that went down at Bell Hotel:
On June 29, 2025, a 38-year-old Ethiopian asylum seeker, Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, arrived in the UK by small boat.
Eight days later, he was charged with multiple offences: three counts of sexual assault, inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity, and harassment without violence. Kebatu denies the charges.
The arrest served as the catalyst for protests outside The Bell Hotel, which has housed asylum seekers since 2020 under Home Office contracts.
Anti-immigration demonstrations took place on July 13 and 17, both escalating from peaceful beginnings into violent confrontations with police. Projectiles like eggs and fireworks were thrown.
The protests saw over 100 to 500 demonstrators, including far-right agitators, gather outside the hotel, chanting slogans such as “Save our kids” and “Send them home.”
The crowd clashed with police lines and security staff and two hotel employees were injured—one security guard was left seriously bloodied in what police are investigating as a possible hate crime.
Hotel customers leave bad reviews after room cancellations
10:58 , Nuray BulbulPreviously booked reservations are said to have been cancelled in order to accommodate migrants arriving to the Britannia Hotel, prompting some customers to leave bad reviews on TripAdvisor.
One person wrote: “On 9th June, I booked and fully paid for two rooms in this hotel for 2 nights in August. Today (6 weeks later) I received an email cancelling my booking because “the hotel has taken a large group booking”.
“How can anyone trust a hotel that does this to its customers? I have booked meals out and a theatre trip as part of our stay London and am now having to scramble around trying to find something suitable at short notice, which will undoubtedly now be more expensive as a result. What a pitiful company.”
Another person said: “Absolutely appalling experience with Britannia International Hotel. My confirmed reservation was cancelled less than 24 hours before my stay via a brief phone call, citing a “private hire” event.
“I received no official email confirmation of the cancellation, and absolutely no support or alternative accommodation offered — despite this being entirely at the hotel’s discretion.
“This is a blatant breach of their own cancellation policy and shows complete disregard for guests, especially those travelling from outside London. Their handling was not only unprofessional and disorganised, but also deeply inconsiderate.”
People pictured moving beds into the hotel on Wednesday
10:49 , Nuray BulbulThe Britannia Hotel in London’s Canary Warf has been captured preparing for migrants to arrive, with new beds being unloaded into the hotel.
Aspana Begum, MP for Poplar and Limehouse: 'Refugees are welcome here'
10:44 , Nuray BulbulAspana Begum MP for Poplar and Limehouse said she welcomes refugees in a statement from yesterday: “In Poplar and Limehouse, we are clear: refugees are welcome here. In the face of relentless demonisation and targeting, we continue to stand with migrants for their rights to safety and dignity.
“It’s the far-right and their hateful ideology that are not welcome here.”
Met Office surrounded Canary Wharf hotel on Tuesday night
10:41 , Nuray BulbulWhen word leaked out that a hotel in east London was housing asylum seekers, a sizeable contingent of protesters and counter-demonstrators assembled outside the establishment.
On Tuesday evening, Metropolitan Police officers were spotted securing the four-star Britannia International Hotel on Marsh Wall, Canary Wharf.
Following news that the Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf is now housing illegal immigrants, a group of protesters has gathered outside. There's a significant police presence here, but that's hardly surprising given what happened in Epping last Thursday night. pic.twitter.com/X5ZFzlKlC1
— Matt Capon (@MattLCapon) July 22, 2025
Reservation-holding hotel customers were observed arriving at the location yesterday, and others were allegedly trying to obtain reimbursements.
There are also claims that employees who had previously worked at the hotel were fired.
A police statement from last night said: “Officers are currently in attendance at a protest outside a hotel in Canary Wharf.
“We have a policing plan in place and will continue to monitor events.”
