❓WHAT HAPPENED: Protesters clashed with police in Epping, UK, after the Court of Appeal overturned an injunction that sought to temporarily halt asylum seekers being housed in the Bell Hotel.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Protest organisers, Reform UK candidates Orla Minihane and Sarah White, demonstrators, police officers, and local figures like Adam Brooks and Councillor Jaymey McIvor.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Sunday in Epping, Essex, primarily at the Bell Hotel and the local council buildings.
💬KEY QUOTE: “The council has let us down… migrants were more important than the British people.” – Orla Minihane
🎯IMPACT: The protests highlighted growing public frustration over migrant housing policies and political inaction, with calls for civil disobedience and further unrest.
England’s migrant hotel protests escalated on Sunday as clashes broke out between demonstrators and police in Epping, Essex. The unrest followed a Court of Appeal decision to overturn an injunction that would have temporarily stopped the Bell Hotel from housing asylum seekers.
Sunday’s events culminated in the arrest of Sarah White, a candidate for Nigel Farage’s Reform Party, after she hung a Union flag from a nearby public building.
🚨🚨🚨Meanwhile, in Britain, a Reform candidate for @Nigel_Farage’s insurgent party has been violently arrested by the Labour government’s police for the crime of… flying the British flag from a public building. https://t.co/76DNlve84x
— Raheem J. Kassam (@RaheemKassam) August 31, 2025
Protests at the Bell Hotel have been ongoing since July, when an illegal migrant staying there was arrested and charged with multiple offences, including the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl. The recent court ruling has intensified local anger, with protesters accusing authorities of ignoring their concerns.
Reform UK candidate Orla Minihane, a protest organiser, told attendees that “the council has let us down” and accused the Government of prioritising migrants over British citizens. Sarah White compared the demonstrations to historic uprisings, urging the crowd to “refuse to pay the [BBC] license fee” and “council taxes.” White was then arrested after attempting to place a flag on the council building, sparking clashes between protesters and police.
“The arrest is on suspicion of breaching a Section 14 order,” a police spokesman said – referring to legislation police chiefs can use to impose restrictions on protests they believe could result in “serious public disorder.”
Local voices expressed outrage at the court’s decision, with commentator Adam Brooks calling it a “disgrace.” Many questioned the impartiality of presiding judge Lord Justice Bean, citing his ties to the far-left Labour Party and the further-left Fabian Society. Others echoed Nigel Farage’s criticism of the Government’s use of the ECHR against local residents.
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