A large crowd protested outside a migrant hotel in the Essex town of Epping after an asylum seeker was accused of sexual assault.
Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, a 38-year-old Ethiopian, was charged with three sexual assaults in Epping not long after crossing the English Channel on June 29th, 2025. While Kebatu denies these charges, and others of non-violent harassment and inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity, the allegations have helped to focus the community on the problems caused by the Home Office taking over the local Bell Hotel for exclusive migrant use.
The night-time protest on Sunday, July 13th, saw police break up a fight between two men outside the venue. The protestors also met with out-of-town counter-demonstrators from Waltham Forest Stand Up to Racism, best known for giving a platform to Labour councillor Ricky “cut all their throats” Jones on an earlier march against the ‘far right.’
