Protests have once again taken place in Epping ahead of a pivotal Court of Appeal ruling concerning the use of a hotel to house asylum seekers.
Dozens of demonstrators marched on The Bell Hotel, which currently houses migrants, on Thursday evening, as police formed a line outside the building.
Some protesters wore hooded clothing and balaclavas, while others carried England flags, as flares were lit in the colours of red, white and blue.
Video footage shows minor clashes between protesters and officers, who were seen urging the group to return to the designated protest zone, away from the hotel.
Chants of “send them back” were heard coming from the crowd.
Essex Police confirmed the protest passed peacefully, with a group of protesters forming outside The Bell Hotel from around 5pm before marching to a local school.
The protest ended at around 8.30pm, they said.
It comes ahead of a Court of Appeal ruling today on whether a temporary injunction to block asylum seekers from being housed at the Bell Hotel in Epping should be overturned.
Somani Hotels, which owns the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, and the Home Office are seeking to challenge a High Court ruling that will stop 138 asylum seekers from being housed there beyond September 12.
At the end of a hearing on Thursday, Lord Justice Bean, sitting with Lady Justice Nicola Davies and Lord Justice Cobb, said that they would hand down their judgment on Friday afternoon.
He said: "Because of the great urgency of this matter, we will aim to give judgment at 2pm tomorrow."
He continued: "If it proves impractical for us to meet the deadline, we will let people know in advance."
A spokesperson for Essex Police said: ”This evening we facilitated a peaceful protest in Epping.
“A group formed outside the Bell Hotel from around 5pm and then, facilitated by our officers, marched to a local school before a section of the group returned to the original protest site.
“A Section 60AA order was in place which gave our officers the power to direct people to remove face coverings or face arrest.
“A designated area for the protest activity was also put in place to allow people to demonstrate safely.
“A small section of the group which had returned to the designated site walked out of the that area. Officers engaged with them and directed them to return to the designated protest area which they did shortly after.
“The protest activity had concluded by around 8.30pm.”
Mr Justice Eyre granted Epping Forest District Council (EFDC) an interim injunction last week after the authority claimed that Somani Hotels had breached planning rules by using the Bell as accommodation for asylum seekers.
Other councils, including Labour-run authorities, have since publicly announced their intention to seek legal advice over whether they could achieve similar injunctions for hotels in their areas.
The Home Office is also seeking to challenge the judge's decision not to let it intervene in the case.
In written submissions for Thursday's hearing, Edward Brown KC, for the Home Office, said Mr Justice Eyre had "no regard to the obvious risk that other local planning authorities would adopt the same approach" as EFDC.
Piers Riley-Smith, for Somani Hotels, in written submissions on Thursday, said that Mr Justice Eyre "overlooked" the "hardship" that would be caused to asylum seekers if they were required to move.
He said that the "extremely high-profile nature of the issue" created a "risk of a precedent being set".
The council is opposing the appeal bids, with barrister Philip Coppel KC stating in written submissions that the case "sets no precedent" and there was "no compelling reason" for the injunction to be overturned.
In court, Robin Green, also representing the authority, said it had not previously taken enforcement action against Somani Hotels over the use of the Bell as it had been "unproblematic".
The Bell Hotel became the focal point of several protests and counter-protests in recent weeks after an asylum seeker housed there was charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl last month.
Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu has denied the offence and has been on trial this week.
Another man who was living at the site, Syrian national Mohammed Sharwarq, has separately been charged with seven offences, while several other men have been charged over alleged disorder outside the hotel.
The hotel previously housed asylum seekers from May 2020 to March 2021; from October 2022 to April 2024; and since April 2025.
