Two more people have been charged following anti-migrant protests in Epping, bringing the total number to nine.
Shaun Thompson, 37, was charged with violent disorder and criminal damage, while Lee Gower, 43, has been charged with violent disorder and assault on an emergency worker.
Thursday night saw a massive police presence descend on the leafy town, as hundreds gathered to march on the local council offices in protest over the Bell Hotel being used to house asylum seekers.
There have been a series of demonstrations in Epping since asylum seeker Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, was charged with sexual assault after an incident earlier this month in which he is alleged to have attempted to kiss a 14-year-old girl.
Over ten police vans were at the scene, with presence from Kent Police, Met Police, Warwickshire, West Mercia, Hampshire, Staffordshire, Norfolk and the Welsh force.
Essex Police said the protests at the Bell Hotel, which houses asylum seekers, began peacefully but “escalated to the point of disorder and criminal damage”.
Speaking today, Rebecca Mundy, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS East of England said: “Today, the Crown Prosecution Service has authorised Essex Police to charge a further two people following the recent disorder in Epping.
“This brings the total number of individuals charged by the CPS in relation to these matters to seven.
“I would like to remind all concerned that there are active criminal proceedings against all named individuals, and they have the right to a fair trial. There must be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online that may in any way prejudice these proceedings.”
List of Epping protest charges:
Caller Tom and Tom Swarbrick debate the Epping anti-migrant protests
Last night, Epping council voted unanimously to close the Bell Hotel but it remains to be seen if the hotel will remain open.
It comes as LBC revealed far-right social media accounts from Russia, America and Europe are encouraging disorder in Epping.
Exclusive analysis conducted for LBC by the digital consultancy 411 shows that the accounts are attempting to inspire members of the far right to join protests.
A Facebook group with 1,600 members is being used to organise coordinated protests outside the Bell Hotel in the coming days.
There are reports the group is being run by Homeland, a splinter group of far-right organisation Patriotic Alternative, labelled “extremist" by Michael Gove when he was Communities Secretary.
Ned Mendez, from 411, told LBC that non-domestic accounts were clearly seeking to amplify content related to Epping:
"We're seeing it of course in North America, we're seeing it in European countries and we're seeing multiple languages. We're even seeing Russian language content posting about this. It's broken free from a domestic narrative and has hit the international, that network now.
“What we’re seeing in Epping [are] local grievances being hijacked by very activated audiences around the far-right and nationalist extremist groups.
“We know that there are identified Neo-Nazi people running local Facebook groups which are fanning the spread of the messaging.
“It’s exactly what we saw at Southport as well where a very local incident is kicked out into non-domestic spaces with much more effective emotional framing.
“It’s the same pattern which is happening online.”