Jonathan Reynolds says ‘I understand the frustrations people have’, as police brace for further unrest
Protesters outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Epping are “upset for legitimate reasons”, a cabinet minister has said, as police brace for further unrest over the coming days.
Jonathan Reynolds, the business and trade secretary, said there was “huge frustration that is shared by the government” about the asylum system and the pressures it created on housing.
Police have issued a dispersal order at Epping after a series of demonstrations outside Bell hotel, which broke out after an Ethiopian asylum seeker who had recently arrived on a small boat was charged with sexual assault against a local girl.
Hundreds of people, many of them local residents, have been participating in the protests. Far-right activists have become involved in promoting them online and have been present, in some cases clashing with police. Officers are braced for further protests on Thursday evening and over the weekend.
