A violent protest broke out Thursday night outside the Bell Hotel, a building believed to house asylum seekers, after a 38-year-old man was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.

Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, an asylum seeker from Ethiopia, appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court earlier that day and denied the charge of attempting to kiss the teenager.

Protesters gathered outside the hotel have repeatedly voiced their anger since the allegation became public. During the latest demonstration, eight police officers were injured in clashes with the crowd, according to Essex Police.

Video footage shows protesters throwing objects at a police van parked outside the hotel. One individual climbed onto the van and smashed its windscreen while others threw eggs and set off fireworks.

Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Hooper said officers sustained cuts, grazes, and injuries to their hands in the violence.

“Eight of my officers were assaulted last night, and that is absolutely unacceptable,” Hooper said. “They come here to support our communities, and that is what we will not tolerate.”

No reports indicated anyone broke into the hotel during the protest.

Essex Police confirmed arrests related to the violence. One man, 65-year-old Dean Walters, was charged with affray after an assault near the hotel. Another person remains in custody for failing to comply with dispersal orders.

Chief Superintendent Simon Anslow stressed that peaceful protest is allowed but criminal behavior will be dealt with firmly.

Earlier in the week, two security staff members were seriously injured in an assault near the protest site, and a man was arrested for racial abuse and property damage.