On August 31, 2025, in Epping, Essex, protesters clashed with police outside the Bell Hotel, housing up to 138 asylum seekers, after a Court of Appeal ruling overturned a local injunction.
Demonstrations led to three arrests, including one for breaching public order laws, amid accusations of heavy-handed policing. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson stated that asylum seekers’ rights take precedence over locals’, fueling outrage and vows from residents to withhold council tax and BBC fees in protest.
The incident underscores deep divisions over immigration policy inherited from previous governments.
