'Utterly unacceptable behaviour'
Fifteen people have been arrested after scenes of "deeply shocking" violence erupted during a protest outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Merseyside on Friday following claims a teenage girl had been propositioned.
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Activists gathered outside the Suites Hotel in Prescot, Knowsley, in a demonstration against migrants staying there and amid reports inappropriate comments had been made to a 15-year-old girl. A video had reportedly circulated showing a 25-year-old man speaking to her,
Metro reports.
Chaos erupted when a counter-protest formed with video circulating on social media showing a police van being set on fire and attempts being made to remove a door.
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Footage shows some protesters shouting ‘n**ces’ at the hotel and complaining that police are "protecting the n**ces".
Flyers, saying ‘Five-star hotels for migrants while Brits freeze’, were reportedly used to organise the demonstration earlier in the day.
Merseyside Police originally said in a statement that three people were arrested on suspicion of violent disorder and taken to police stations to be questioned, but on Saturday that 15 people had now been arrested. They are aged between 13 and 54.
The force said it was called to the scene, where "officers were facilitating an initially peaceful protest and counter protest" on Ribblers Lane.
"During the evening, missiles have been thrown towards officers and damage caused to a police vehicle. No injuries have been reported at this time," the statement reads.
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Founder of refugee charity Care4Calais Clare Moseley told Metro said she was among 100 to 120 people from pro-migrant groups who went to the scene to show support for the asylum seekers.
She said: "I’m trying to get in touch with some of the poor men in that hotel, I can only imagine how frightened they are. It was like a war zone."
Merseyside’s police commissioner Emily Spurrell tweeted: "Deeply shocking and concerning scenes of violence in Knowsley this evening.
"Utterly unacceptable behaviour, putting officers and public in danger. I am monitoring the situation closely. There is absolutely no excuse for this."
Merseyside assistant chief constable Paul White said police "will always respect the right to protest when these are peaceful, but the scenes tonight were completely unacceptable, putting those present, our officers and the wider community in danger".
He added: "Thankfully we have not had any serious injuries reported up to this point, but for officers and police vehicles to be damaged in the course of their duty protecting the public is disgraceful."
Knowsley MP Sir George Howarth called for calm, saying until police had investigated the alleged incident involving the teenager "it is too soon to jump to conclusions, and the effort on the part of some to inflame the situation is emphatically wrong."
Sir George added: "Those demonstrating against refugees at this protest tonight do not represent this community."
White encouraged anyone with footage of the protests to contact police, rather than posting it on social media.
“I would also like to strongly remind not to post comments, footage or information on our channels but instead to pass it directly to officers via our social media desk @MerPolCC on Twitter or ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ on Facebook with reference 1149. We will act swiftly upon all information given to identify any further offences and put those involved before the courts.”
Information can also be supplied anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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