Bodycam footage has captured the dramatic moment police arrested a suspect in his living room following violent anti-migrant clashes outside an asylum seeker hotel.
Video released by Essex Police showed officers telling the man to put his hands up before handcuffing him during the arrest on suspicion of violent disorder in Epping.
The man was then led away into a police car to be interviewed and so detectives could search his home for clothing he wore on July 17, the day of the incident.
The arrest of the suspect aged in his 20s took place at 5.45pm yesterday when officers visited the property in Harlow. He is now being questioned in custody.
Police said they have made 16 arrests for offences including violent disorder and criminal damage since the protest turned violent.
It comes as a ring of steel was set up around a luxury four-star hotel in East London that has been converted to house migrants amid protests. Large barriers were installed outside The Britannia International Hotel in Canary Wharf this morning.
The upgraded security followed a second night of fiery scenes after a rally by anti-migrant activists outside the hotel, where rooms can go for up to £425 a night.
Guards kitted out in black uniforms and wearing face masks manned the barriers this morning as more than a dozen Met Police officers gathered outside the building amid fresh fears of further protests tomorrow and over the weekend.
In Epping, the community has been also braced for fresh disorder following violent clashes outside The Bell hotel, which is also housing illegal asylum seekers and had metal fencing delivered to the site this afternoon on the back of a flatbed truck.
Video released by Essex Police showed officers arriving at the property in Harlow yesterday
The bodycam footage shows the officer going inside and asking the man to put his hands up
The man is told he is under arrest for section two violent disorder for an offence on July 17
The bodycam video from Essex Police in Harlow shows the man being put into a car yesterday
The man is taken away by police to be interviewed and so detectives can search his home
Police issued this photo today of Martin Peagram, 33, who is wanted over the Epping protest
Essex Police also wants to speak to Philip Curson, 52, over the disorder in Epping this month
Police have issued a dispersal order in Epping following the demonstrations outside The Bell hotel this month. The order, which is in place from 2pm today until 8am tomorrow, covers an area including the town centre and transport hubs such as the Underground station
Protests have been spreading to other parts of the country, with more than 150 gathering outside The Park Hotel in Diss, Norfolk, on Monday after the Home Office announced plans to change it from housing asylum-seeker families to single men.
In the arrest video issued by Essex Police, an officer is heard saying: ‘Hello mate, you all right? Put your hands up for me mate. You are going to be arrested, you are under arrest for section two violent disorder for an offence that occurred on July 17.
‘So you do not have to say anything but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.
‘The reason for your arrest is so we can interview you about it and also do post arrest searches. So we will be searching for items of clothing you were wearing on the day. Understand?
‘So what we’re going to do is we’re going to sit you down and then have a search around the address under section 32 of Pace (Police and Criminal Evidence Act).’
After the suspect is put into the police car, the officer says of a colleague: ‘He’s going to come with you. He’s going to sit in the back with you. You got to go behind this one.’
Essex Police Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Hooper said: ‘We’d promised that we’d continue our investigations into the unacceptable actions of a small number of people who chose to take advantage of peaceful protest to try to cause harm to people in Epping or to property.
Metal fencing is delivered to the migrant hotel in Epping today as it tries to bolster defences
A man is arrested by police during a protest outside The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, on July 20
Police officers and protesters on in Epping on July 20 after a protest outside the Bell Hotel
Bottles and smoke flares thrown towards police vehicles outside The Bell Hotel on July 20
A masked protester in front of a cordon of riot police officers in Epping, Essex, on July 17
‘We’ve been analysing footage and we have investigators and trained detectives working on this operation.
‘We are identifying suspects and there will be more arrests in the coming days. Put simply: If you turn up to try to cause trouble, you won’t get away with it.’
The sixth and latest person to be charged is Kenneth Blissett, 34, of Harlow, who was charged with theft of police equipment and possession of an offensive weapon. Blissett is on bail and is due to appear at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on September 30.
Stuart Williams, 36, of Thornwood, Epping, has been charged and remanded in custody alongside Dean Smith, 51, also of Epping.
Jonathan Glover, 47, of Waltham Abbey, and Keith Silk, 33, of Loughton, have also been charged with violent disorder. They were given conditional bail.
All four are due to appear at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on August 18.
Joe McKenna, 34, of Wickford, is charged with failing to remove a face covering when directed to do so. He remains on bail ahead of a hearing at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on September 24.
The demonstrations followed a man living in the Bell Hotel being charged with sexual assault, harassment and inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity.
Large barriers have been set up around the four-star Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf today
A police cordon and fencing is placed outside the Britannia International Hotel in Canary Wharf
Security carry a large package behind the cordon and into the Canary Wharf hotel today
Hadush Kebatu, 41, from Ethiopia, has denied the offences and was remanded in custody.
Essex Police claimed protesters damaged police vehicles, threw projectiles at officers and injured eight of them.
Detectives also revealed they were trying to speak to Martin Peagram, 33, who has links to Stansted. He was described as 6ft tall, of slim build, with short brown hair and facial stubble.
The force additionally wants to speak to Philip Curson, 52, of no last known address. He is 5ft 8i tall, of stocky build, with short brown hair and full tattoo sleeves on both arms, and tattoos covering the front of his neck.
Police last night issued a dispersal order in Epping following the demonstrations outside the hotel.
The order, which is in place from 2pm today until 8am tomorrow, covers an area including the town centre and transport hubs such as the Underground station.
It gives officers the power to direct anyone suspected of committing anti-social behaviour, or planning to do so, to leave the area or face arrest.
Workers are seen bringing beds and mattresses into the hotel in Canary Wharf today
Guards were seen outside the hotel in Canary Wharf, East London, this morning
Meanwhile the boss of the organisation representing rank-and-file police officers has chillingly warned the disorder in Epping was the ‘signal flare’ which could spark an outbreak of violent protests.
Police could now be dragged away from neighbourhood duties to keep the peace at rallies outside migrant hotels, according to Tiff Lynch, head of the Police Federation.
Ms Lynch said officers were being ‘pulled in every direction’ and commanders were ‘forced to choose between keeping the peace at home or plugging national gaps’.
She said if violent protests spread throughout the summer, it would be ‘dangerous to assume’ that police forces would be able to ‘hold the line indefinitely’
‘It would be comical if it weren’t so serious – and so familiar. Local commanders are once again being forced to choose between keeping the peace at home or plugging national gaps,’ she wrote in the Telegraph .
She said Epping was ‘not just a troubling one-off’, adding: ‘It was a signal flare. A reminder of how little it takes for tensions to erupt and how ill-prepared we remain to deal with it.’
The hotel in Canary Wharf was the latest to be converted into asylum accommodation by the Home Office, as Britain braces itself for a potential surge in illegal migrants crossing the Channel in the summer.
Protests outside the Britannia International Hotel in Canary Wharf in London last night
Protests outside the Britannia International Hotel in Canary Wharf in London on Tuesday
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has been warned the nation could face a second ‘summer of riots’ if Labour fails to get a grip on such hotels being used amid rising public anger.
The decision for the four-star city building to house asylum seekers has already been branded an ‘insult’, with some residents and local business owners saying they fear for their safety.
Anti-migrant activists claim the new wall outside the lavish glass-fronted building has been built to keep them away from the hotel entrance after yesterday’s rally, which saw them clashing with police.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Phiip went on the attack last night and blasted the government for spending taxpayers’ cash on housing migrants in Canary Wharf.
‘It is outrageous that the Government is splurging taxpayers’ hard-earned money on luxury hotels for illegal immigrants when most people in this country would struggle to afford a hotel in central London,’ he told The Sun .
‘This is one of the most luxurious hotels people can only dream of staying in, right in the heart of London’s financial centre.’
He continued: ‘No wonder illegal immigrants are flooding across the Channel in record numbers,’ adding: ‘This is an insult to law-abiding citizens.’
The Canary Wharf hotel has been taken over by the Home Office to house asylum seekers
Privacy tape has been installed at the Canary Wharf hotel today on its main entrance doors
Workers spent yesterday hauling beds and mattresses into the Canary Wharf hotel after a night of protests.
Labourers dragging new furniture into the hotel were allowed through the metal fencing and police cordon in preparation for the arrival of ‘hundreds’ of asylum seekers.
Today, workers inside the hotel appeared to be installing privacy tape on the main entrance doors at the site, which obscured views into the building.
Protesters had gathered outside the hotel amid reports asylum seekers were being transferred from Epping, where trouble had previously broken out, to the capital, although the Home Office later clarified this was not the case.
Tower Hamlets Council did, however, confirm the Government intends to use the hotel – which has around 500 rooms – for asylum seekers in a move which has angered anti-migrant protesters and guests whose bookings have been cancelled.
The Met Police said it has officers at the scene and warned it wouldn’t hesitate to clampdown on criminal thugs trying to create mayhem outside the hotel.
A spokesman told MailOnline: ‘We continue to have officers deployed in the vicinity of the Britannia International Hotel where protests have taken place over recent days.
The luxury four-star hotel in Canary Wharf is being converted to house migrants amid protests
A worker can be seen sticking tape to the glass frontage of the Canary Wharf hotel today
‘They are there to provide reassurance to local residents and businesses, to ensure that any further protest takes place peacefully and to respond to any incidents.
‘We continue to encourage those exercising their lawful right to protest to do so responsibly and with consideration to the impact on those trying to go about their lives in the local area.
‘Anyone who crosses the line from lawful protest into criminality can expect to face police action.’
It comes as Essex Police faced criticism over its handling of the Epping protests, which led to riot police being drafted in, as activists hurled bricks and other missiles at police vans.
The Chief Constable for Essex Police dismissed calls to resign over the force’s handling of the demonstrations after footage emerged of officers escorting pro-migrant activists to an asylum seeker hotel where violent clashes erupted.
Ben-Julian Harrington rejected calls from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage to step down and firmly extinguished claims his officers had given a higher level of protection to pro-migrant protesters.
Asked if he would resign, he told a press conference yesterday: ‘No, I am not [resigning]. I am not going to do that. This is not about me, this is about the communities of Essex.’
Essex Police chief Ben-Julian Harrington rejected calls from Reform UK’s Nigel Farage to quit
He added: ‘The issue is not about my resignation. The issue is about an effective police operation that keeps the communities of Epping safe…’
Essex Police had initially denied it had brought Stand Up to Racism activists to the hotel before ugly clashes broke out with anti-migrant protesters.
But after being shown footage of officers leading the group from a nearby station to outside the hotel, the force then backtracked and admitted it had provided a ‘foot cordon’.
Mr Farage called for Mr Harrington to resign, saying the footage is ‘absolutely disgraceful’ and ‘heads must roll’.
The Reform UK leader later posted footage allegedly showing pro-migrant protesters being ‘bussed’ to the demonstration in police vans, but Essex Police said this was ‘categorically’ untrue.
The force explained that pro-migrant protesters were given a ‘foot cordon’ on their way to the protest and those who were ‘clearly at risk of being hurt’ later on were ‘escorted by vehicle’.
Facing a barrage of questions, Mr Harrington rejected claims his officers had given a higher level of protection to pro-migrant protesters.
‘No, I don’t accept that,’ he said. ‘The only protection that officers are doing is to those lawful and law-abiding people, whether they are in that accommodation, whether they are the people of Epping or whether they are people who are standing there with placards and banners wishing to make a very important and legitimate view, whichever your views about it.
‘Where officers have intervened that is because there has been disorder…We are not being partial in any way, shape or form.’
The chief constable also dismissed claims pro-migrants were ‘bussed’ to the hotel’, explaining: ‘There has been some accusations in the media that we drove people to the protest. That is not true.
‘We have not driven anybody to that protest. People made their own way there… we did take people away for their safety and the safety of everyone there.’
