An anti-migrant protest in London\u2019s Canary Wharf escalated into violence on Sunday as demonstrators stormed a shopping mall demanding the closure of a local \u201cmigrant hotel.\u201d Police said one protester assaulted a member of the public, prompting officers to deploy pepper spray.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe suspect was immediately arrested by officers who used PAVA spray,\u201d police said in a statement, adding that others in the crowded area, including bystanders, may have been affected.<\/p>\n
The Metropolitan Police reported that protesters, some wearing masks, became aggressive towards officers after moving into the shopping centre. Three arrests were made on charges of common assault, drug possession, and assault on police\/public order offences. A Section 60AA order has been issued for the Isle of Dogs area, granting police powers to order the removal of face coverings.<\/p>\n
Epping protests over asylum hotel<\/p>\n
In Essex, tensions remain high around the Bell Hotel in Epping, which has become the focus of repeated demonstrations since an asylum seeker housed there was charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl last month. The accused has denied the charges.<\/p>\n
Essex Police imposed strict conditions on planned protests<\/a> in the area, including a dispersal order covering the high street and surrounding areas until 4 a.m. and a requirement that demonstrations end by 8 p.m. Officers have also been given powers to order the removal of face coverings.<\/p>\n Wider unrest and political fallout<\/p>\n The weekend\u2019s demonstrations followed a High Court ruling allowing Epping Forest Council to shut down the Bell Hotel due to \u201cunprecedented levels of protest and disruption.\u201d The government is appealing the decision.<\/p>\n Elsewhere, rival groups \u2014 including Abolish Asylum System and Stand Up to Racism \u2014 clashed in towns and cities including Bristol, with police making more than a dozen arrests.<\/p>\n The tensions come against the backdrop of a record 111,084 asylum applications in the year to June 2025. Home Office figures show about 32,000 asylum seekers are currently housed in hotels \u2014 well below the September 2023 peak of 56,000 but still up from last year.<\/p>\n Flags and far-right rhetoric<\/p>\n The protests<\/a> have been accompanied by a surge in Union Jack flag displays, which some councils have removed citing safety and outside agitators. Tower Hamlets Council warned that \u201csome individuals putting up flags are not from our borough\u201d and accused outsiders of trying to \u201csow division.\u201d<\/p>\n The move has been condemned by right-wing politicians. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has endorsed the flag campaign, while senior Conservative MP Robert Jenrick blasted \u201cBritain-hating councils,\u201d declaring: \u201cWe must be one country, under the Union Flag.\u201d<\/p>\n Prime Minister Keir Starmer<\/a> has condemned the violence as \u201cfar-right thuggery\u201d but acknowledged public frustrations over migration pressures. His government has pledged to accelerate asylum decisions, disrupt people-smuggling gangs, and explore a returns deal with France.<\/p>\n Migration at the political forefront<\/p>\n