STORY: Anti-migrant protesters gathered ed on Sunday (August 24) outside hotel housing asylum seekers in Epping, east of London, a day after police were forced to separate demonstrators and counter-protesters in multiple cities as tensions flared over immigration policies.

A court ruling on Tuesday (August 21) ordered the removal of asylum seekers from the Bell Hotel in Epping, which has become a flashpoint for anti-immigration protests. The government plans to appeal.

Protesters gathered waving British flags and holding placards that read "Epping says no" and "Stop the boats."

With immigration polling as the public's top concern, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government has been under pressure to deliver on its pledge to end hotel use, which is costing billions of pounds a year.

Britain has seen regular protests in recent weeks outside hotels housing asylum seekers, spurred in part by concerns about public safety after a migrant who was accommodated in a hotel east of London was charged with sexual assault.

On Sunday, the government said it would reform its asylum appeals process to accelerate decisions, reduce a backlog of cases and phase out the use of hotels to house asylum seekers.

Under the plans, an independent body of adjudicators would be created to handle asylum appeals and reduce the backlog of 106,000 cases, including 51,000 appeals with average wait times exceeding a year.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

VIDEO SHOWS: ANTI-IMMIGRATION PROTESTS OUTSIDE BELL HOTEL, WHICH HOUSED ASYLUM SEEKERS, IN EPPING / POLICE ON SITE / EXTERIORS OF BELL HOTEL

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: EPPING, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (AUGUST 24, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF ANTI-IMMIGRATION PROTESTERS MARCHING DOWN ROAD

2. PROTESTER HOLDING FLARE / PROTESTERS MARCHING DOWN ROAD

3. VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS BEHIND BARRIERS ON SIDE OF ROAD

4. PLACARD ON BARRIER READING (English): “DEPORT FOREIGN CRIMINALS”

5. PLACARD ON BARRIER READING (English): “DEFEND OUR GIRLS”

6. PLACARD ON BARRIER READING (English): “CLOSE BELL”

7. PROTESTER HOLDING PLACARD ON BARRIER READING (English): “EPPING SAYS NO”

8. PROTESTERS BEHIND BARRIERS / BELL HOTEL IN THE BACKGROUND

9. VARIOUS OF POLICE OFFICERS LOOKING ON

10. VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS GATHERED BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD

11. POLICE VAN IN FRONT OF BELL HOTEL

12. VARIOUS OF POLICE OFFICERS

13. BELL HANGING ON HOTEL FACADE

14. BELL HOTEL

15. HOTEL WORKER OPENING TEMPORARY GATE FOR POLICE OFFICER / CLOSING GATE