THIS is the moment riot cops smash a shield into a man’s face and knock his teeth out in a brutal clash.
Violent scenes erupted outside The Bell Hotel in Epping, this week after an asylum seeker appeared incharged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.
Video footage of the encounter shows a man in a grey vest squaring up to an before being struck by a riot shield.
The man stumbles back clasping his mouth before he looks down at his hand to find his teeth have been knocked out.
He looks in disbelief at the other protestors around him before proceeding to argue and square up to other officers.
The footage also shows protestors throwing objects at the police as they form a cordon.
In the aftermath of the incident, the man told the Mail his account of events.
“I was trying to talk to him (the riot officer) and he smashed me in the face with his shield,”; he claimed.
He added that his teeth were now in his pocket.
jumping on a moving police van and setting off flairs.
Essex Police Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Hooper said those behind the violence would feel the full force of the law and could expect a knock on their doors.
The confirmed eight officers were injured in the clash and two people have been arrested –one on suspicion of affray following reports of an assault during a protest on Sunday, and the other for failing to comply with dispersal orders.
The man accused of affray, 65-year-old Dean Walters, has since been charged and the second suspect remains in custody.
On Wednesday night, video footage captured the van as chaos broke out.
Yobs tried to block the streets with green plastic blockades as officers navigated through angry crows.
Men could be seen kicking and punching several riot vans on the road.
But footage shows one man being driven into after failing to move.
The protest was sparked by a 38-year-old Ethiopian asylum seeker who was arrested and later charged with three counts of sexual assault, one count of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity and one count of harassment without violence.
Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, who had been living at the Bell Hotel, in Epping, Essex, denies sexual assault.
He appeared atColchesterMagistrates’on Thursday, July 10, where he denied all charges.
His arrest led to multiple protests in the region, culminating in the violent clashes.
There are about 210 hotels under contracts with theto house migrants.
A Sun investigation revealed 339 defendants who had been living at asylum hotels had appeared in magistrate’s courts already this year.
Sir Keir Starmer released a statement in response to the growing tensions.
“Well, I think it’s obviously important that communities know that we are working to reduce the number of asylum hotels,”; said the PM’s spokesperson.
“That is a clear government policy. But it’s also important that
legitimate protest doesn’t cross over into something else, and we would always hope that communities would respect that.
“But we are, and I think the Prime Minister is on record as saying, about the need to cut migration, both lawfully and illegal migration, and that is something that you’re seeing in working on tirelessly over the last year, whether it be the agreement with the French last week or the agreement with the German government yesterday, that is a priority for this government.
“It is something that requires international solutions, and that is why you’re seeing this flurry of activity from this government to tackle these gangs from every possible angle.”;
