What event sparked the initial July 2025 anti-immigrant protests outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex?

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On July 7 and 8, 2025, Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, a 38-year-old Ethiopian asylum seeker housed at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, allegedly attempted to kiss a 14-year-old girl and in a separate incident sexually assaulted a woman who had offered to help him with his CV ). He was arrested and charged at Chelmsford Magistrates" Court on July 10, 2025, facing two counts of sexual assault, one count of attempted sexual assault, one count of inciting a minor to engage in sexual activity, and one count of harassment without violence ). News of Kebatu"s arrest prompted over 100 demonstrators to gather outside the Bell Hotel on July 13, 2025, chanting slogans like "Save our kids" and "Send them home" and, by nightfall, throwing flares and bottles at police shields as Essex Police called the unrest "mindless thuggery" ). Far-right organisations including Britain First and Patriotic Alternative leveraged the case online to mobilise further protests across Bristol, Manchester, and Newcastle through the summer, despite Home Office data showing asylum seekers account for a very small fraction of sexual offence convictions in the UK ).

What event sparked the initial July 2025 anti-immigrant protests outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex?

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