Two charged in connection with protest in Epping over the weekend
Three people were arrested during the course of the evening.
Two people have been charged following Sunday’s protest activity in Epping.
Our officers facilitated a protest outside The Bell Hotel, which began at around 6pm, and then facilitated a procession to the town centre and back.
A Section 14 order was put in place which designated the area where public assembly could only take place to be an area marked by low level fencing across the road from The Bell and stipulated all protest activity had to end by 8pm.
A Section 12 order was put in place which directed that the route of any procession between Theydon Road and Lindsey Street had to follow a route from The Bell down the High Road and High Street to the area of the Civic Offices and then back to The Bell.
A Section 60AA order was also put in place which gave officers the power to direct people to remove face coverings intended to conceal their identity, or face arrest.
Three people were arrested during the course of the evening.
Sarah White, 40, of Luxborough Lane, Chigwell was arrested on suspicion of breaching the Section 14 order.
She has now been charged with failing to comply with the conditions of participation of a procession and being a public procession organiser failing to comply with a notice.
She is due to appear at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on 15 October. She has been released on conditional bail until that time.
Scott Davey, 32, of Wheelers Close, Nazeing, was also arrested on suspicion of breaching a Section 14 order and has been charged with failing to comply with the conditions of participation in a public assembly.
He has been released on conditional bail and is due to appear at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on 31 October.
A 22 year-old man from Epping who was arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred and racially or religiously aggravated criminal damage has been released on conditional bail until 28 November.
His arrested is in connection with an investigation into allegations a banner had been set alight on Friday 29 August.
Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Hooper said: “We’ve consistently said that we’ll always seek to facilitate lawful protest and we have done that throughout this summer.
“We put plans in place on Sunday to prevent serious disruption to the lives of our Epping residents, which remains at the forefront of our minds, as well as to prevent serious disorder, violent, and damage to property.
“There has been suggestion on social media that we made an arrest on Sunday because someone unfurled a flag.
“I want to be really clear – that is categorically wrong. Any suggestion that this was the case is completely false.
“Unfurling or putting up a flag is not a criminal offence, and nobody has been arrested for doing that.”