UK prosecutors say rocks and eggs thrown at police during asylum hotel protests

LONDON (AP) — Rocks and eggs were thrown at police as they tried to protect a hotel near London being used as accommodation for asylum seekers, prosecutors said Monday as a man arrested in connection with the incident appeared in court.

More than 100 protesters — some wearing British flags and releasing red, white and blue smoke — gathered at the Bell Hotel, in Epping Forest, on Sunday as demonstrators gathered to vent their anger after a man was arrested in the area on suspicion of sexual assault.

Chanting “save our kids” and “send them home,” the demonstration escalated, with projectiles thrown at police vans blocking the entrance. Officers escorted a counter-protester from the area after demonstrators surrounded her.

A similar protest took place last Thursday.

“Disappointingly, we have seen yet another protest, which begun peacefully, escalate into mindless thuggery with individuals again hurting one of our officers and damaging a police vehicle,″ Chief Superintendent Simon Anslow of the Essex Police said in a statement on Monday. “For anyone who thinks we will tolerate their thuggery, think again.”

The protests come amid escalating tensions over the rising number of asylum seekers who are being housed at government expense in hotels around the U.K. Those pressures flared into days of rioting last month in Northern Ireland after two teenagers were arrested on charges of sexual assault.

Violent anti-immigrant protests spread throughout the U.K. last summer after social media users spread misinformation about the identity of the person who attacked a dance class in the northwestern town of Southport, killing three young girls. The attacker was a 17-year-old who was born in the U.K. to parents from Rwanda and was not an asylum seeker, as had been rumored.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government has acknowledged concerns about immigration and made tackling irregular migration a priority.

As Parliament debated the unrest in Epping Forest on Monday, Diana Johnson, the policing minister, said there was no justification for the violence.

“Violent disorder is not a symptom, violent disorder is criminal,” she said. “It’s thuggery, it’s attacks on our police officers. It should be prosecuted, and people should face the full consequences of the law.”

Prior to Sunday’s protests, local police had issued an order allowing them to force demonstrators to remove face coverings. They later ordered demonstrators to leave the area around the hotel. That dispersal order remained in effect until 4 a.m. Monday.

The demonstration came after eight police officers were injured on Thursday after a peaceful protest escalated into violence. Police blamed the violence on people from outside the community who “arrived at the scene intent on causing trouble.”

At least nine people have been arrested in connection with the demonstrations, including the 33-year-old man who appeared at Southend Magistrate’s Court on Monday. He faces one charge of violent disorder and one charge of criminal damage related to the the unrest that broke out on Thursday. He was released on bail and is scheduled to return to court on Aug. 18.

Officers faced “sustained attacks for over four hours” on Thursday, prosecutors said.

The protests outside the hotel were triggered by the arrest of a 38-year-old asylum seeker who was charged with sexual assault after he allegedly attempted to kiss a 14-year-old girl. The man, who denies the charges, was remanded into custody following a court appearance on July 10.

“We don’t take sides, we arrest criminals and we have a duty to ensure no-one is hurt — plain and simple,″ Anslow said. “I know the people of Essex know what we’re about, so I know they won’t believe the rubbish circulating online that is designed to do nothing more than inflame tensions and trouble.’’

Epping Forest District Council, which provides local government services in the area, condemned the violence but said it had long opposed the central government’s decision to use the Bell Hotel to house asylum seekers.

“We have consistently shared concerns with the Home Office that the Bell Hotel is an entirely unsuitable location for this facility and should close,” the council’s leader, Chris Whitbread, said in a statement last week. “We continue to press Home Office officials for the immediate closure of the site and are encouraged that our local MPs are now actively supporting our call.”