An Epping local has expressed concern that Britain is a melting pot that will not be fixed by a landmark High Court ruling halting the asylum use of a nearby hotel.
Speaking on GB News, Orla Minihane, who has been a prominent campaigner at protests in the Essex town, fears the problem worsening in the days and months to come.
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She explained to Martin Daubney that asylum seekers being evicted from the hotel could see them being sent across the community.
“It’s a victory of course, it’s what we’ve been wanting. The problem is, where are they going to put these men?”, she said.
Orla Minihane said the ruling sets a precedent which will give the Labour Government an almighty headache
|GB NEWS
“In two weeks time, the council is going to have to find somewhere else. Are they going to go into HMOs (Houses of Multiple Occupancy) across the community? Are they going to be housed next door to the very residents who have been stood outside the hotel week after week saying, ‘we do not want these men here?’
“The Government does not have a plan. They tried to step in last minute today because they do not want a precedent set with the rest of the country.
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“Now that this has happened and the Bell has been closed down, every city and every town in the UK is going to have residents trying to have the same thing. The problem is, where are they going to go?
“There is no room for them.”
Ms Minihane spoke to Martin Daubney on GB News about the ruling
|GB NEWS
Mr Justice Eyre issued a temporary injunction on Tuesday against Somani Hotels Limited, the property's owner, blocking the accommodation of migrants under a Home Office arrangement.
The ruling mandates that all asylum seekers currently housed at the establishment must vacate by 12 September. The judge extended the original 14-day deadline to 24 days for the evacuation.
The council's legal action follows weeks of demonstrations outside the hotel, with thousands participating in protests near the location.
The Home Office mounted an unsuccessful last-minute attempt to halt the proceedings.
Epping Council leader speaks to Mark White after landmark High Court ruling - WATCH
Government lawyers sought permission to join the case on Tuesday morning, arguing that the injunction would significantly affect the Home Secretary's statutory obligations.
Barristers for the department warned that approving the council's application might destabilise Britain's asylum accommodation system.
They cautioned that similar legal challenges could proliferate across other local authorities, potentially establishing a precedent for widespread injunction requests.
The department's legal team also expressed concern that granting the order might encourage additional violent demonstrations.
Epping Council won its High Court bid to close town's migrant hotel after weeks of fury
|PA
Despite these arguments, Mr Justice Eyre declined the intervention, stating that Yvette Cooper's department had possessed adequate time to present their evidence earlier.
The demonstrations began following serious criminal allegations against a resident of the hotel. Hadush Kebatu, a 41-year-old Ethiopian national staying at The Bell Hotel, faces five charges relating to the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl.
The charges comprise three counts of sexual assault, one count of inciting a child to participate in sexual activity, and one count of harassment without violence.
Mr Kebatu has pleaded not guilty to all allegations.
The case sparked significant community unrest, with local residents organising multiple protests outside the hotel premises throughout recent weeks.