Nigel Farage has defended people protesting outside an asylum hotel in Essex, claiming most were “genuinely concerned families”.
The Reform UK leader insisted violent scenes outside the hotel were caused by “some bad eggs”, alleging clashes were between the “usual far-right thugs” and far-left anti-fascist activists, known as Antifa.
Some of the demonstrators have been seen wearing black face coverings, similar to those often worn by members of Antifa, but it has not been verified whether the group has attended the protests.
Mr Farage also claimed “civil disobedience on a vast scale” will break out unless migrants stop arriving to the UK on small boats.
Six people were arrested on Sunday evening after a string of protests outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, which is believed to house asylum seekers. Eight police officers were injured following clashes at what had started as a peaceful demonstration on Thursday evening, while the latest rally on Sunday saw more than 100 protesters assemble, with some chanting “save our kids”.
The events were organised in response to the arrest of an asylum seeker, who was later charged with sexual offences against a teenager and adult in the town, eight days after arriving to the UK via boat. Hadush Kebatu, 38, from Ethiopia, who denies the allegations and remains in custody, is charged with three counts of sexual assault, alongside inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity and harassment without violence.
Mr Farage did not condone violence seen outside the hotel – however, he did say it should “serve as a stark warning to this government that the British people will not put up with this betrayal for the next four years”.
When asked whether the scenes were understandable, he told The Times: “I don’t think anybody in London even understands just how close we are to civil disobedience on a vast scale in this country.
“Of course, there were some bad eggs that turned up at Epping. There were the usual far-right thugs, but equally, what about Antifa? Why? Why are Antifa allowed to go to these demonstrations, to wear balaclavas, to not be identified, to do gestures, last night, of them shooting at members of the public. Why are they there? So it isn’t all far-right thuggery, as you might sometimes hear from our prime minister.
“But do I understand how people in Epping feel? You bet your life I do.”
He continued: “Don’t underestimate the simmering anger and disgust that there is in this country that we are letting in every week, in fact, some days, many hundreds of undocumented young males, many of whom come from cultures in which women and young girls are not even treated as second-class citizens.
“So the answer is, yes, I do understand the genuine upset and anger, and I’ll bet you that most of the people outside that hotel at Epping weren’t far-right or far-left or anything like that. They were just genuinely concerned families.”
Hope Not Hate, an anti-fascism campaign group, said the series of gatherings outside the hotel began with largely peaceful intent, but were co-opted by actors intent on causing violence.
Footage and photography from Thursday and Sunday’s events show people with links to groups such as the British National Party (BNP), Britain First, Patriotic Alternative and neo-nazi group Blood & Honour were all in attendance. The Bell Hotel has regularly attracted anti-migrant protests organised by groups such as these since 2020, according to Hope Not Hate.
Downing Street described the scenes at Epping as “clearly unacceptable”.
The prime minister’s official spokesman said: “Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy, but it’s clearly unacceptable to see police coming under attack as they ensure that peaceful protest is able to take place.
“And I think Essex Police put out the statement making very clear: people who protest peacefully, lawfully and responsibly cause us and the wider public no concern. However, we can never and will never tolerate criminal violence, and I think the Prime Minister will obviously echo that.”
