Hardening public attitudes and far-right aggression have left Bell hotel’s inhabitants fearful despite hopes of integrating
An asylum seeker staying at a hotel that has been the flashpoint for anti-migrant protests has described being called a “scumbag” and treated like a criminal by local people.
Dozens of residents of Epping’s Bell hotel face an uncertain future after a court ruled on Tuesday that it cannot be used to house asylum seekers because of a breach of planning rules.
The verdict came after weeks of violent protests outside the hotel by far-right activists sparked when an asylum seeker resident was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.
Khador Mohamed, 24, from Somalia, says residents were locked in their rooms during the protests. When they are allowed to venture outside they are insulted, he says. “People call you scumbags sometimes and they throw cans of soda at you.”
