Police officers who dealt with last summer’s Southport stabbings riots were called in to help as protesters clashed outside an asylum hotel in Essex on Sunday.
Merseyside Police joined officers from other forces including the Metropolitan Police, Northamptonshire, Lancashire, Surrey, Sussex, and the City of London to aid local police by monitoring crowds of protesters and counter-protesters outside the Bell Hotel in Epping as demonstrators gathered for a fifth time.
It was the latest in a string of protests in the Essex town after asylum seeker Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. He denies the charges and remains in police custody.
As many as 500 demonstrators waved union flags outside the hotel, while Stand Up To Racism counter-protesters marched to the hotel with signs reading: “Stop scapegoating refugees and migrants”.
Protests were also held at a number of other hotels believed to be housing asylum seekers across the country, including in Wolverhampton, Norwich, and Greater Manchester.
In Essex, a 52-year-old man and a 53-year-old woman were arrested, as well as a 27-year-old woman who is believed to be part of the counter-protest.
Essex Police said it had established protest restrictions due to repeated serious disruption, violence, and harm to the community during previous demonstrations, adding that residents have reported feeling “trapped”, fearful of leaving their homes and anxious about protest activity previously.
There was a ban on anyone wearing face coverings and that there were designated sites opposite the hotel for protesters following an “escalation of violence” during previous protests.
It comes after the announcement an elite unit of detectives will be convened to monitor social media over anti-migrant protests.
Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner issued a stark warning to Keir Starmer last week over fears the UK could once again face a summer of protests. She told the prime minister it was “incumbent on the government to acknowledge the real concerns people have and to deliver improvements to people’s lives in their communities”.
The weekend saw demonstrations spread across the country, with clashes between police and protesters at Cresta Court in Trafford, Greater Manchester, on Sunday. Demonstrators also gathered at Canary Wharf in London, Leeds, Portsmouth, Bournemouth, and Southampton.
West Yorkshire Police said one person was arrested and charged with obstructing a police officer in Leeds.
A spokesperson for the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) said: “Mutual aid is routinely used to mobilise officers across the country to ensure public safety, and so the National Police Coordination Centre has been supporting Essex Police to ensure the force has the resilience it needs.”
