Some 500 far-right, anti-immigrant protesters from across the country converged on the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, this weekend. This event was the fifth demonstration held on site. Recent trumped-up charges against an asylum seeker led to a mass protest. When the accused tried to kiss a 14-year-old girl outside her home, bringing the community tensions to a head. Over 700 counter-protesters — many of them marshalled by Stand Up to Racism — stood up to the opposition. They used their experience to fervently advocate for more awareness and compassion towards refugees.
Essex police sent a massive force of their own. Police officers from several different police forces involved took up strategic positions to maintain the peace between the two opposing factions. Metal barriers outside the hotel kept the anti-immigrant demonstrators from direct contact with their counter-demonstrators. Ch Supt Simon Anslow of Essex police praised attendees for the peaceful nature of both demonstrations despite the charged atmosphere.
Members of the anti-immigrant group expressed their feelings loud and clear on T-shirts and signs that said “protect our kids.” If some protesters waved England flags, others proudly waved flags linked to far-right groups such as Homeland and Patriotic Alternative. Among them, a conspicuous white flag waved in the throng. Its most conspicuous symbolic element was a blue-square red cross, a close resemblance to the signs that have peppered anti-abortion demonstrations across the United States.
“There are some refugees who do not behave respectfully or who do not follow the rules of the host society. But those individuals do not represent all of us.” – Asylum seekers
Local resident Joshua Bailey expressed his fears about the growing tide of anti-immigration sentiment. He said this shift has made the people of color in his tight-knit friend circle feel “vulnerable and threatened. I have to agree with that local woman who expressed herself so wonderfully. She continued, I’m not saying everybody in any of these hotels is up to no good. I’m certainly not going to cast stones at individuals, but there is zero vetting.
The protest was widely condemned, including by far-right activist Tommy Robinson, who announced he was going to attend it but then backed out. A few participants repeated the axiom that British people, not immigrants, should come first when it comes to immigration policy. Kai Stephens articulated this viewpoint, stating, “Unfortunately, there has to be a certain point where we turn around and say, the British people should be put first, the indigenous British people.”
The counter-protesters emphasized unity against far-right ideologies, with one participant urging others not to let hatred and violence divide the community. “Don’t let the far right divide us with their hatred and violence,” they declared.
In an effort to bridge divides, one unnamed man expressed a desire for constructive dialogue amid opposing views. “I’d like to be able to sit down in a pub with someone who had opposing views and be able to speak about it.”
This overwhelming and historic turnout on both sides caused heightened tensions during the protests. Ultimately, these tensions resulted in three arrests—two protesters coming from the anti-hotel coalition and one coming from the counter-protest group. One of them was 41-year-old Hadush Kebatu from Ethiopia, who was arrested and charged with crimes related to the protests.
“As with any group of people, there are both good and bad – and it is unfair to judge the majority by the actions of a few.” – Asylum seekers
The protests have been a key site of the national conversations around immigration policies and asylum seeker treatment in the UK. Lewis Nielsen of Stand Up to Racism noted that political figures such as Nigel Farage have emboldened far-right sentiments, contributing to societal divisions.