Police say a video which appeared to show one of their vehicles driving into a protestor in Essex may not be what it seems, and that they have seen different footage which presents the incident in a different light.
It comes after violent clashes outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, which is believed to house asylum seekers, in recent days.
A video circulating on social media on Thursday evening appeared to show a police vehicle as it drove towards a number of protesters who were standing in the road, before appearing to collide with at least one person.
Essex Police Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Hooper said the video had been reported to the force, but said they had seen another video “which maybe shows it from a different angle”.
“And I guess the angles and perceptions show a different thing,” he added.
“So I’m not sure that exact incident is as it’s been reported in the media.”
The police chief promised to hold criminals to account for “selfish and mindless” violence and vandalism following the events on Thursday night.
On Thursday night, eight officers were injured during altercations between protesters and police with those hurt sustaining injuries to their hands as well as cuts and grazes.
A group of protesters started with a peaceful demonstration in Epping town centre, before moving onto the Bell Hotel, where things later turned violent.
There have been a number of demonstrations outside the hotel since Essex Police charged 38-year-old asylum seeker Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu with sexual assault following an incident where he is alleged to have attempted to kiss a 14-year-old girl.
He denied the charge when he appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
Mr Hooper said his team were now combing through CCTV to identify those responsible “for assaults on our staff, through to damage and abhorrent language that was used”.
“Then we can start knocking on doors and bring those involved to justice that were responsible for that selfish criminality,” he said.
“But we also want to work with the community to facilitate people using their voice in peaceful protests.”
At a press conference on Friday, Mr Hooper spoke of two people who have been arrested – one on suspicion of affray following reports of an assault during a protest on Sunday, and the other for failing to comply with dispersal orders.
Mr Hooper said the man accused of affray, 65-year-old Dean Walters, has since been charged and the second suspect remains in custody.
During a protest on Sunday, fireworks were let off and eggs were thrown outside the hotel.
On Friday afternoon, a security guard remained on site at the Bell Hotel, opening the gate in the fencing and the door of the hotel to let people in and out.
Fencing has since been put up to surround the hotel, accompanied with no entry signs. There are also warnings forbidding photography and filming in the vicinity of the hotel.
Broken glass and remnants of flares remain on the ground from the incident.
Mr Hooper believes that, although there are polarised views in Epping surrounding the hotel holding asylum seekers, a lot of those responsible for the violence came from further afield.
He said: “We actually saw last night we believe outsiders from our communities. People have come from outside their local areas into Epping to commit acts of violence and damage.
“That was really disappointing to see, because we know our communities wanted a voice and wanted to tell us what was going on, and they were peaceful in their activity.
“I’ve seen some of the social media comments and spoken to a number of members of the community, and there are polarised views.
“But it’s our role as police to be independent and to, without fear or favour, make sure that people have the right to peaceful protest.
“What I won’t stand for is those mindless acts of vandalism and violence that we saw and making sure that we are very robust in supporting our communities.
“Our communities don’t want to see this violence, and they want to have their voice heard peacefully.”
One resident living next to the Bell Hotel, who did not want to be named, said: “It’s all horrible. Epping is a very nice place.
“It is very unfortunate that this has attracted people from outside the area.
“They [those staying in the hotel] haven’t given us any safety concerns. The safety concerns are from those protesting.
“The police will be here tonight, they were here last night.
“But I know there’s a lot of mixed views in the town about the hotel.”
