MINORITY-race parents say they no longer feel confident in allowing their children to walk to school alone because of concerns about their safety, says an Epping-based group promoting community cohesion in the face of widespread protests reports the Local Democracy Reporter.

Epping for Everyone add families in the town have felt “increasingly uncomfortable” during protests and when flags are displayed that suggest a “marking of territory”.

Epping for Everyone’s comments come on the back of an Ofsted report into Epping St John’s School, which recognises the school’s efforts to reassure some pupils who were worried about coming to school because of “local issues”.

Epping has seen widespread and sometimes violent protests since an asylum seeker at The Bell Hotel was arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl and a woman.

Hadush Kebatu was later convicted of five offences – including sexual assault – and jailed before being deported to Ethiopia. In the past year, multiple protests have been held outside The Bell Hotel, which Epping Forest District Council has spent £860,000 unsuccessfully trying to block as accommodation for asylum seekers.

The group adds that parents of mixed-race children no longer feel confident allowing them to walk to school alone because of concerns about their safety. Young people have said they have felt scared and intimidated. Following an incident in February, a man has been charged with racially abusing a police officer after demonstrating outside The Bell Hotel.

During the trial of two men accused of being in an “aggressive mob” during violent disorder in Epping last July, footage shown in court this month showed groups of people appearing to attack police. It’s alleged that a ‘violent mob’ turned Epping into a “scene of disorder and chaos”.

The Bell Hotel has not been the only focus for protests. Some have questioned the motives behind those who are putting Union Flags and St George’s Crosses on lampposts across the town – suggesting they are being “weaponised to pursue a political agenda”.

In this mix are children who, Epping for Everyone says, are being impacted. In a statement, they said: “We have been contacted by many individuals and families in Epping over recent months who have told us that they, and their children, have felt increasingly uncomfortable in their own town when protests take place and when flags are displayed in ways that suggest a marking of territory or a symbol of intimidation.

“We have spoken with parents of mixed-race children who no longer feel confident allowing them to walk to school alone because of concerns about their safety. We have heard directly from young people who say they have felt scared and intimidated by these developments.

“As a community, we all have a responsibility to ensure that Epping remains a place where every child feels safe, respected and able to focus on their education without fear. The fact that Ofsted has recognised the difficult circumstances facing the school underlines the challenges that pupils and staff have had to navigate. The headteacher and the wider school community deserve credit for working hard on wellbeing and pupil welfare throughout this period. This cannot have been easy.”

Epping St John’s School headteacher Mike Yerosimou, in a letter to parents, said the report published in March recognises that leaders have “operated under difficult circumstances” and that community tensions have impacted the school’s context.

He said: “Many of you will know just how challenging and high-profile that period was for our local community. The school had to support young people through uncertainty, strong feelings and difficult public debate, while remaining calm, balanced and true to our values.

“The report recognises that leaders carefully wove pupils’ worries, concerns and thoughts into the curriculum and remained focused on ensuring that pupils thrive’. While the situation is not as intense as it was, we also know that these challenges have not simply disappeared.

“That is why the values recognised in the report: kindness, respect, tolerance, courage and compassion, must and will remain at the heart of school life. Our role is to help young people make sense of the world around them, listen to views they may not share, and treat others with dignity.

“That matters because our students have lived through a period in which our local community has been under real pressure. Throughout that time, they have continued to show kindness, respect and maturity. The report rightly recognises that pupils understand the complexities of life in modern Britain, respect difference and engage thoughtfully with issues that matter to them. That is not accidental. It reflects the culture of the school and the character of our young people.”

Epping Forest District ward councillor Holly Whitbread, writing on social media, said many people are “deeply concerned” about the motives behind those putting flags up and the way this is being done.

She said: “It has become clear that those climbing lamp posts and ‘raising our flag’ are not acting out of patriotism alone. What should be a symbol of unity and national pride is, in some cases, being weaponised to pursue a political agenda which, to me, feels increasingly sinister. I have also heard troubling accounts from residents about intimidation and the unease some people feel when these flags are being put up.”

She added she will continue to lobby for a diplomatic and lawful approach to securing The Bell Hotel’s closure. She added: “However, those seeking to weaponise our flag are not representative of mainstream political beliefs or the decency we should expect in a democratic country. Our town and local people should not be subjected to intimidation, hostility and division from those claiming to act in the name of patriotism.”