A Telegraph article has framed recent Essex police failures as cops escorting pro-asylum seeker protesters to the Bell Hotel. However, what the Torygraph failed to mention is that this is from the typical UK police playbook.
In reality, they’re following protesters while trying to extract information along the way.
Essex Police lied about escorting left wing protestors. They only admitted it after this footage was produced clearly showing them doing just that.
How much do the Police lie about regularly?
Why do they do this? pic.twitter.com/ELaMyAzmxm
— Basil the Great (@Basil_TGMD) July 23, 2025
‘Facilitating free assembly’ at the Bell Hotel
Essex Police have come under fire on social media for ‘escorting’ left-wing protesters to the Bell Hotel housing asylum seekers, where far-right lunatics were gathering.
Essex police have denied escorting them to the hotel. However, videos online very clearly showed police walking alongside protesters. The Assistant Chief Constable, Stuart Hooper, defended their actions. He said:
We have a reasonable duty to protect people who want to exercise their rights. In terms of bringing people to the hotel, the police have a duty to facilitate free assembly.
‘Facilitating free assembly’ – apart from when that assembly involves protesting a genocide, right?
Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, make violent revolution inevitable ~ John F Kennedy https://t.co/VSvrWFOelF
— Ivor Biggen (@GrahamForbes19) July 23, 2025
Thugs assaulting police & hotel staff in Essex get a slap on the wrist while peaceful protestors against genocide risk being jailed on terrorism charges.
The law is an ass. https://t.co/YnjCD5HqVf— Sue Wilson (@Suewilson91) July 22, 2025
Racism, plain and simple
Some of the protesters were seen with signs saying:
I’m not far right I’m worried about my kids
Well, we say ‘protesters’. They were actually Karens (one of them quite literally a Karen) from Reform – most of who were bussed in (ironically):
Reform UK in #Epping
The 3 in this photo:
1) @KarenReform, Reform UK candidate and Councillor @McivorJaymey's mum (he's Head of Local Government for Reform UK)
2) Town Councillor for Reform Melanie Moakson, Clacton Reform UK and recently @Nigel_Farage's stand in in Clacton.
3)… pic.twitter.com/p8NqKn6Ka9— Reform Party UK Exposed
(@reformexposed) July 21, 2025
There was also the predictable ex-BNP Karens there:
One of these 'strong women' is Susan Clapp, former BNP candidate, @McivorJaymey.https://t.co/3rQtyMpK30 https://t.co/woC07i2i1K
— Reform Party UK Exposed
(@reformexposed) July 21, 2025
Are they planning to protest outside the house of every single one of the 117 people accused of violent and sexual offences in the Epping area? Or is it only the Black and brown ones that are a problem?
Essex constabulary: What we should see disclosed.
I’m open to correction but quite apart from the absurd and destructive evasion over the bussed in counter protestors here is what I think the police should be asked about in terms of *process*: 1/ pic.twitter.com/GGstxEarzW— Ian Acheson
(@NotThatBigIan) July 23, 2025
Most days in the UK, white men are accused of, or charged with, sexually abusing children. Where is the moral outrage? Where’s the protests and the riots? Or the uproar? That’s right, there is none because its plain and simple racism disguised as ‘protecting children’.
If they really cared about protecting children, there would be a hell of a lot more protests.
In a statement to the BBC, Essex police said:
Officers did provide a foot cordon around protesters on their way to the protest, where they and others were allowed to exercise their right to protest.
Later some people who were clearly at risk of being hurt were also escorted by vehicle away from the area for their safety.
To reiterate, we categorically did not drive any counter-protesters to the site on any occasion.
Caught with their pants down
The right wing have kicked up a fuss about police escorting the left-wing protesters for all the wrong reasons. They were incensed that the police might have driven the anti-racist counter-protesters to the site, which the grovelling Essex Constabulary were quick to deny.
The issues were instead that:
• The police focused on non-violent protesters, rather than forming a barrier around those committing violence.
• It craftily used this as an excuse to tail left-wing protesters while letting the right-wing thugs get away with bigotry and violence, no doubt making the situation worse because they viewed it as ‘protection’.
But no matter what the police were actually trying to do, we have caught them with their pants down – because they lied.
‘Facilitating freedom of assembly’ is just a pretence for gathering intelligence on those dangerous anti-racist, anti-genocide, tofu-eating, planet-protecting wokerati – truly a terrifying national security risk! Cops in Essex just did what they do best: protect the status quo. With successive Tory governments – and now this despicable Labour one, the far-right sit comfortably within that.
In 2025 Britain, fascist thugs can sidle up to a hotel housing men, women, kids, and families fleeing Western-fueled conflict, persecution, and climate ruin, and the state enables them. But is it any wonder when the prime minister is spouting rancid, depraved plans to go after migrants like it’s his (warped) Liam Neeson moment?
Either way, time and again, police have used this underhanded tactic – and we’re sure as hell not buying.
Featured image via the Canary
By HG
This post was originally published on Canary.