COURTS and politicians were urged to stop “bending to far-right protests” today after a High Court ban on the Bell Hotel housing asylum-seekers was overturned.

Court of Appeal judges branded the previous ruling “seriously flawed in principle” for failing to consider how councils would respond.

Epping Forest District Council's lawyers admitted that it only decided to injunct the hotel for a breach of planning law after far-right protests made housing migrants there “problematic.”

Protests began after an asylum-seeker housed at the hotel was charged with alleged sexual offences in July. Stand Up To Racism (SUTR) has shown the demonstrations were partly orchestrated by far-right extremists.

Reading a summary of the Court of Appeal’s ruling, Lord Justice Bean, sitting with Lady Justice Nicola Davies and Lord Justice Cobb, said: “We conclude that the judge made a number of errors in principle, which undermine this decision.

“The judge’s approach ignores the obvious consequence that the closure of one site means capacity needs to be identified elsewhere.”

Such an injunction “may incentivise” other councils to take similar steps as Epping Forest District Council, he added, saying: “The potential cumulative impact of such ad-hoc applications was a material consideration … that was not considered by the judge.”

The judges also allowed a Home Office appeal against Mr Justice Eyre’s decision last week not to let it intervene in the case.

SUTR co-convener Weyman Bennett said the initial judgement was “always wrong” and a “concession to racist thugs set on scapegoating and intimidating refugees.”

SUTR co-chair and former National Education Union general secretary Kevin Courtney added that “hateful demonstrations should not determine public policy,” calling on “all people of goodwill to speak out and peacefully mobilise against this hateful targeting of vulnerable people.”

Care4Calais chief Steve Smith said: “The Court of Appeal has made it clear that violent protest, and in many cases overt racism, is not a fast-track route for the far-right to attack the rights of people seeking sanctuary in this country.

“We welcome the judge reaffirming that the government has a legal duty to provide support to people claiming sanctuary who would otherwise be destitute.”