UK: District Council secures court victory to evict asylum seekers from hotel that sparked mass protests

Image: Jihad Watch

A High Court ruling has ordered the removal of asylum-seekers from a hotel near London that has recently become the epicenter of heated and often violent protests against migrant accommodations. The decision comes after weeks of escalating demonstrations outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, which has drawn both local residents and far-right activists.

The Epping Forest District Council filed a legal petition asking the court to temporarily halt the use of the Bell Hotel as housing for asylum-seekers. Local officials argued that the arrangement had fueled “unprecedented levels of protest and disruption,” with tensions spilling over into clashes between demonstrators, counterprotesters, and police.

The protests gained momentum after a high-profile criminal case emerged involving one of the hotel’s residents. Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, an asylum-seeker staying at the Bell Hotel, has been charged with the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl. Kebatu has denied the allegations and is scheduled to stand trial later this month. The case ignited public anger and gave fresh momentum to protesters, some of whom rallied under slogans such as “save our kids” and “send them home.”

What began as peaceful gatherings soon spiraled into unrest. Police reported violent clashes during some of the demonstrations, with at least nine individuals arrested in connection with the disorder. Alongside the anti-migrant protests, anti-racism groups have organized counter-rallies outside the hotel and other migrant housing sites, further intensifying the standoff between opposing sides.

Representing the local council, lawyer Philip Coppel told the court that the hotel’s continued role as a migrant housing facility had effectively become a “feeding ground for unrest,” severely undermining community cohesion and public safety.

On Tuesday, a High Court judge sided with the council and ordered that asylum-seekers must be removed from the Bell Hotel no later than September 12. However, authorities have yet to clarify where the displaced migrants will be relocated, raising new concerns over how the government will address the broader challenge of asylum accommodation amid growing tensions across the country.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)