The Chief Constable of Essex Police has denied that officers drove counter-protesters to a demonstration outside a hotel housing asylum seekers after claims made by Nigel Farage.
The Reform UK leader called for the resignation of Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington in a post on X.
There have been a series of demonstrations outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, since an asylum seeker was charged with sexual assault this month.
The force has issued a dispersal order 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.
It 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.
Clacton MP Mr Farage said, alongside footage shared online on Wednesday: “This video proves @EssexPoliceUK transported left-wing protesters to the Bell Hotel in Epping.
“There is no way Chief Constable BJ Harrington can stay in position.”
Mr Harrington told a press conference on Wednesday that the issue was “not about my resignation, the issue is about an effective police operation”.
He said that accusations that officers drove people to the protest were “not true”.
“We’ve not driven anybody to that protest,” he said.
“People made their own way there.
“We did take people away for their safety, for the safety of everyone there, because it was the best operational thing to do to prevent violence, to defuse the situation.”
The force said officers did “provide a foot cordon around protesters on their way to the protest” and later escorted some away from the protest by vehicle “for their safety”.
Asked about the claims made online, Mr Harrington said: “It’s not for me to silence or try to say to people what they should or shouldn’t say.
“My appeal to people, whether they’re the leader of a national party or just somebody who’s got a comment to make, is please consider the consequences in the real world of your actions.”
Conservative MP for Epping Forest Neil Hudson, asked about Mr Farage’s comments, told Sky News that what some politicians are saying “is not correct”.
He added: “Essex Police are putting themselves in harm’s way to keep people safe and it’s very important that we have the facts, and we have no misinformation.
“But I’m categorical, I am fully in support of Essex Police and I’m very grateful for what they’re doing.”
The MP urged the Government to “get a grip on this issue” and close the hotel immediately.
The protests came after an asylum seeker, 38-year-old Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, was charged with sexual assault after allegedly attempting to kiss a 14-year-old girl.
He denied the charges when he appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court last week and he is due to stand trial in August.
Mr Harrington said, on Wednesday, that officers had made 10 arrests following the protests.
The force said on Tuesday that four men have been charged with violent disorder and a fifth man charged with failing to remove a face covering when directed.
Political activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, said on his X account on July 20 that he was “coming to Epping next Sunday … and bringing thousands more with me”.
Asked about the prospect of protests at the weekend, Mr Harrington said: “We will have a robust policing operation.
“Essex is safe. You will have hundreds of officers on duty.”
He said that “legitimate people who want to go and protest outside that hotel” have the right to do so “if they’re peaceful and lawful”.
“I come back to the point where people break the law, where they smash up police vans, where they assault workers from the hotel, where they are chasing people away,” he said.
“Those are the people that we will not tolerate and we will deal with.”
Elsewhere, protesters gathered outside a hotel believed to be housing asylum seekers in Diss, Norfolk, earlier in the week.
Norfolk Police said in a statement that officers “maintained a presence” at a site in Denmark Street on Monday evening “to ensure the safety of all involved at a planned protest”.
The force said that no arrests were made and it continued to monitor the situation.
The Metropolitan Police said officers attended a protest outside a hotel in Canary Wharf on Tuesday.
The site is reportedly to be used to offer temporary accommodation for asylum seekers.
The force said in a statement that no arrests were made and officers “remain in the area to deal with any incidents”.
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