Angry residents living near an Essex migrant hotel say they will stop paying council tax after the High Court ruling allowing the asylum seekers to stay.
The Bell hotel in Epping became the epicentre of protests that swept the country last month after a migrant boarder was accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.
The continued protests led the local council to obtain a landmark High Court injunction to block the Home Office from placing any more migrants at the hotel.
The ruling immediately led to dozens of councils across the country saying they too will launch similar High Court bids to stop the Home Office filling hotels in their areas with migrants.
But anti-migrant protesters received a crushing blow on Friday, when three High Court judges overturned the Bell Hotel injunction, meaning the 138 migrants staying there will no longer be removed by September 12th.
Friday’s ruling led to a wave of protests across the country, including fierce clashes between residents and police in front of the Bell.
This weekend, furious residents told the MoS they plan to stop paying their council tax as protest against the Home Office, even if it means receiving jail terms.
Sarah White, a mother-of-three, said: ‘We are outraged by what happened in court. We feel very vulnerable.
Sarah White said she feels ‘very vulnerable’ following the court ruling which has allowed asylum seekers to remain in The Bell Hotel
Police and protesters outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, following the court ruling
‘Our children return to school tomorrow. What is the point of paying our council tax if it is being directly used to fund a place which houses alleged sex attackers?
‘And it funds a place which is causing huge worry and anxiety to locals. Girls are being followed. It goes against everything which council tax is for. We know the consequences.’
Another resident, who did not want to be identified, added: ‘The feeling is so strong that the threat of prison does not worry me. I will go to jail for this.’
Sarah Corner, 44, who has lived in Epping for 20 years, said: ‘We need to take a stand. Enough is enough.
‘Our taxes are funding the hotel, the police and all the costs associated with it. That’s not what it should be for.’
Protests at the Bell began last month after an Ethiopian migrant resident called Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl, and another woman.
Kebatu, who is standing trial at Colchester Magistrates Court, denies the charges.
This weekend, Epping Forest District Council, which obtained the initial High Court injunction, said it will also take the matter to the Supreme Court if it loses at another High Court hearing in October.
Protests at the Bell began last month after an Ethiopian migrant was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl, and another woman
Councillor Ken Williamson, from Epping Forest District Council, outside the High Court
In a statement, the council said: ‘We are now reviewing our position and ruling nothing out, including the possibility of taking this to the Supreme Court.
‘We will continue to fight on every front, using the democratic, diplomatic, legal, and political means available, until the Bell Hotel is closed.’
But last night, Tory councillor Holly Whitbread, who represents the ward the Bell Hotel is in, urged residents not stop paying their council tax, as the local authority is on their side.
Ms Whitbread said: ‘The council tax is for important local services like waste collection and supporting the local community.
‘At the end of the day, the council is fighting to get the hotel closed. They [residents] should be directing their frustration at the Government.
‘The use of the Bell Hotel is completely untenable, and the council has long opposed the use of the hotel.’
However, migrant residents at the Bell have been cheering the High Court ruling.
Khadar Mohamed, 24, from Somalia, said: ‘I want to say thank you Keir Starmer and his government. I am delighted with the news, wow. That is really amazing.’
He said those living at the hotel had been ‘living in fear’ from protesting locals.
