Reform UK councillor Jaymey McIvor has criticised left-wing counter-protesters and police handling of Sunday’s anti-migration demonstration outside Epping’s Bell Hotel. Speaking to GB News whilst taking a break from cleaning the streets, McIvor said: “One thing I will not have is people from mainstream media circles saying the people of Epping have caused trouble here.”
He insisted that “the people of Epping came here peacefully to voice frustration and concern for the safety of girls.” McIvor then turned his criticism to the opposition, stating: “The left-wing mob turned up for trouble and in my opinion, the police egged it on. I am very disappointed.”
The demonstration occurred on 13 July, with a second group attending in counter-protest outside the hotel, which houses asylum seekers.
Local publican Adam Brooks expressed strong concerns about the situation, telling GB News: “I never thought in all my years this leafy suburb would see scenes like this.”
GB NEWS
|
Reform UK councillor Jaymey McIvor spoke from the protest
Brooks attributed the unrest to “the anger and absurdity of putting unvetted foreign men in hotels next to a school, amongst our women and children.” He questioned whether proper risk assessments had been conducted by the Home Office.
The publican warned that tensions would continue, stating: “I am getting told by many people here they will be protesting every week.”
Local residents have shared their experiences with the Daily Express, describing how the situation has affected their daily lives.
A 61-year-old retired fire safety trainer, who requested anonymity, said she no longer feels safe leaving her home.
GB NEWS
|
Protests broke out in Epping
She recounted an incident from May 2022: “My son was driving and I was next to him, and we came out [of the shared drive] and all of a sudden I felt a bump and they kicked our car.” She added: “We were spat at a few times.”
An elderly neighbour expressed similar concerns: “I can’t even begin to tell you the sort of anxiety we felt at these people just around us all the time… [with] just a barrier between us and our drive. I admit I don’t come in after dark.”
Council leader Chris Whitbread has called for the immediate closure of asylum hotels in the area, stating that the council had “consistently and repeatedly opposed” the use of the Bell Hotel for this purpose.
He described placing “vulnerable individuals from a wide range of cultural backgrounds into an unsupervised setting in the centre of a small town, without the proper infrastructure, support, or services” as “both reckless and unacceptable.”
Epping Forest MP Dr Neil Hudson and Brentwood and Ongar MP Alex Burghart issued a joint statement calling the situation “increasingly alarming and distressing.”
A Home Office spokesperson responded that they had “already taken action to ban foreign nationals who commit sexual offences from being granted asylum” and were working to remove over 35,000 people, including failed asylum seekers and foreign national offenders.
