Lifestyle

Fury Erupts Outside Essex Hotel as Tensions Boil Over in Wake of Sexual Assault Charge

Published on July 22, 2025

There’s growing public anger across the UK following a wave of serious crimes involving individuals living in asylum hotels, with protests turning violent after one man was charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl.

Six arrests were made after chaos broke out outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, where asylum seekers are currently being housed. Protesters let off flares and firecrackers, hurled objects, and shattered glass in what police described as a night of “angry and violent” unrest, reported LBC.

The flashpoint came after 38-year-old asylum seeker Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu was charged with attempting to kiss a 14-year-old girl. The case has shocked the local community and ignited a furious debate over who is being housed in these hotels.

Speaking to Parliament, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp didn’t hold back. He said, “The public are rightly sick of this illegal immigrant crime wave.” He stressed, however, that “violent protests” are not the answer.

Philp went on to say that “this year has been by far the worst ever” for immigration, revealing that 23,000 migrants have crossed the Channel so far. “Numbers in asylum hotels are now higher than at the time of the election,” he said, calling it both a border crisis and a threat to public safety, “especially for women and girls.”

He didn’t shy away from outlining the severity of the situation. “Those crimes included multiple cases of rape, sexual assault, violence, theft and arson,” he told MPs, referencing the Epping case as well as other disturbing incidents. He cited the conviction of an illegal immigrant in Oxford for raping a 20-year-old woman in a churchyard, and another of a Sudanese man who attempted to rape a woman in a nightclub toilet in Wakefield.

“Now violent protest in response to those appalling crimes is never justified,” Philp added. “The public, though, are rightly sick of this illegal immigrant crime wave. It has to end.”

Responding to the heated comments, Home Office minister Dame Diana Johnson agreed that the allegations were extremely serious. “Any allegation of crime or sexual assault is incredibly serious, including by individuals in the asylum system, and it is to be treated so by the authorities and treated so by this Government,” she said.

She also highlighted that in the Government’s first year in office, 5,179 foreign national criminals had been removed from the UK, an increase of 14% on the previous year. “That is important progress, but we want to go further,” she said.

To that end, she confirmed that the Government is changing the law to ensure individuals convicted of any registered sexual offence will not be granted asylum. Plans are also underway to tag any migrant considered a threat to public safety or national security.

There’s also a push to crack down on illegal working and to finally reduce reliance on hotels for housing asylum seekers, something that’s become an increasing point of public frustration.

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