UK: PROTESTS IN EPPING AS ANTI-MIGRANT AND ANTI-RACIST DEMONSTRATORS CLASH

New protests have rocked Epping, a London suburb, where thousands of rival demonstrators confronted each other in front of the Bell Hotel, which houses asylum seekers. Police intervened to separate the factions and prevent violence.

It was a day of high tension in Epping, in southeast England. Protests in front of the Bell Hotel, which accommodates asylum seekers, continued, culminating in clashes between demonstrators and police. The demonstrations began on July 13th, intensifying after the indictment of a 41-year-old Ethiopian man for sexual harassment.

Thousands of people belonging to two opposing groups – one anti-immigration and the other anti-racist – confronted each other for hours. Police had to create a barrier to maintain separation and prevent violence.

On one side, approximately 300-400 people, brandishing British flags, demanded the closure of the facility and the relocation of migrants, chanting slogans like "protect our children." On the other side, around two thousand counter-demonstrators responded with "refugees are welcome here."

Tension remains very high, along with fears that new "riots" could erupt in the UK, similar to those that occurred a year ago in various locations across the island following the tragic killing of children in Southport, northern England.

Two days ago, the Tory-led Epping municipal council unanimously approved a motion to ask the Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government for the "immediate and permanent" closure of the Bell Hotel. Local authorities also emphasized that "asylum seekers create tension." British citizens are concerned.