Asylum seekers moved out of Epping hotel targeted by far-right protesters

All asylum seekers were removed from the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex. It’s the site of violent protests last summer over fire safety concerns.

Violent anti-immigrant protests took place outside the Epping hotel following the arrest of asylum seeker Hadush Kebatu, who sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl and woman while living in the area.

The local council took the Home Office to court in an attempt to remove the asylum seekers, saying they were a “breeding ground for unrest”, but failed after a High Court judge ruled the migrants should stay. Now the Home Office has admitted it has moved all asylum residents out due to concerns about fire safety regulations.

It was not stated whether the move would be permanent.

Kebatu, an Ethiopian citizen, was mistakenly released from prison last October before being re-arrested two days later. He has since been deported to the east African country and paid £500 after threatening to disrupt his return flight.

Last July, initially peaceful demonstrations in front of the Bell Hotel turned violent, with bottles and flares thrown at police. More than 1,000 protesters participated in demonstrations outside the hotel on July 13, 17, and 20.

At the time, police chief Ben-Julian Harrington branded some protesters “thugs and vandals” and criticized “irresponsible behavior” at the protests, which resulted in injuries to police officers and hotel staff.

While it was reported that most of those participating in the protests were local people who were concerned about the location of the asylum hotel, members of one of England’s largest Neo-Nazi groups also participated in the organization of the meetings.

Two members of the far-right Homeland group appeared to be administrators of the 1,500-member Facebook page Epping Says No, where protests were held outside the Bell Hotel in Epping.

The Homeland Party was founded in April 2023 as a breakaway group from the neo-Nazi Patriotic Alternative and has been described by Hope Not Hate as the largest fascist group in the UK.

Epping Forest District Council applied for a High Court injunction to stop asylum seekers being placed in the Bell Hotel due to violent protests, but was ultimately unsuccessful in the courts.

The council argued that the migrant hotel had become a “nurturing ground for unrest”. In the documents submitted to the court, it was claimed that the use of the hotel for asylum seekers was “a danger for school-age students who will start the new academic year, a valid source of concern for their parents and teachers, and disruption of the local environment.”

In November last year, a High Court judge ruled that asylum seekers should remain in the area, saying police should resolve security concerns in the local area.

Now Epping Forest District Council has announced that the Home Office has evacuated all remaining asylum-seeking residents in Bell.

In a statement, the council stated that “only security personnel will remain on site”, adding: “Despite ongoing discussions with the Home Office, we did not know in advance that this would happen. We are awaiting clarification from the Home Office on the details of what happened and what the next steps will be.”

A Home Office spokesman said: “The government is removing the incentives that attract illegal immigrants to Britain. We are closing all asylum hotels and relocating asylum seekers to essential accommodation, including former military sites.”

“The refugee population in hotels fell by 35 percent last year, and by 63 percent compared to its peak under the previous government.”