Channay Augustus, 22, was allegedly part of a group of about 20 people who tried to barge into the Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf, east London, on Wednesday evening.
The hotel has been a protest hotspot this week(Image: PA)
A woman armed herself with a meat cleaver and attempted to force her way into a hotel housing asylum seekers after one of its residents entered her blind mother’s flat, a court has heard.
Channay Augustus was allegedly part of a group of around 20 people who tried to storm the Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf, east London, on Wednesday evening. The 22 year old is said to have joined a group of protesters after she found a migrant inside her mother’s flat, which is a five-minute walk away from the hotel, Thames Magistrates’ Court was told.
The court heard that Augustus had chased the man away after finding him “moving his hand” over his genital area, and rushed to the hotel at around 6am.
The woman allegedly came to the hotel armed with a meat cleaver(Image: PA)
She also confronted a security guard at the site who tried to calm her down. She left but allegedly returned shortly afterwards with a meat cleaver, which she is said to have started banging on a metal barrier outside the hotel.
The court was told she had also shouted “f****** asylum seekers”. Augustus was later arrested at her home, reports the Mirror.
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During a hearing on Friday, her lawyer indicated she would deny possession of an offensive weapon, affray, assault on an emergency worker and common assault.
She admitted to possession of cannabis. The migrant who entered her flat, who is in his early 20s, was arrested earlier today on suspicion of common assault, the Metropolitan Police said in an update.
The woman was arrested after allegedly joining protesters at the Britannia International Hotel(Image: PA)
A spokesperson for the service confirmed to the London Evening Standard: “We can confirm that this is the man who allegedly entered the flat. He is now in police custody.”
The hotel has become a focal point of protests in recent weeks, with both anti-migrant protesters and pro-migrant counter-protesters descending on the site.
Arrests have been made this week, as confirmed by the police, including an anti-migrant protester accused of throwing a bottle at officers, and a counter-protester arrested for failing to remove a face covering.
Augustus, from Tower Hamlets, was remanded in custody and is due to appear at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 12 September.
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