Fifteen people, aged between 13 and 54, have been arrested after violent disorder outside a hotel housing asylum seekers on Friday night, Merseyside police have said.
A demonstration outside the Suites hotel in Knowsley descended into violence with a police van torched and stones thrown.
Thirteen men and two women have been arrested.
Merseyside police said it was “facilitating a peaceful protest and counter-protest” at the hotel.
Serena Kennedy, the chief constable of Merseyside police, said: “A number of individuals who turned up at the Suites Hotel last night were intent on using a planned protest to carry out violent and despicable behaviour.
“They turned up armed with hammers and fireworks to cause as much trouble as they could and their actions could have resulted in members of the public and police officers being seriously injured, or worse.
“Indeed, one of my officers was injured in the line of duty, as were a number of members of the public, and it is only through luck that no one was more seriously injured or worse.
“A police van was also put out of commission as a result of being set on fire.
“All of those arrested will now be questioned and we will continue to gather all evidence as part of this investigation and our officers are continuing to examine CCTV footage in a bid to identify anyone else involved.”
She said police were aware of rumours on social media before the protest that a man had “made inappropriate advances towards a teenage girl. This was reported by members of the public to police, but no victim was initially identified.”
She added: “Following inquiries, a man in his 20s was arrested on Thursday, 9 February, in another part of the country on suspicion of a public order offence. A file was submitted to the CPS and on their advice he was released with no further action.
“I want to make it absolutely clear that this is very much an ongoing investigation, and we would urge anyone who witnessed this incident or who has any information which could help us bring the offender to justice to come forward.
“Social media speculation, misinformation and rumour can actually damage the outcome of investigations and cause unnecessary fear and consequent behaviour, so I would continue to ask people to be mindful of the damage that such actions can cause.”
The home secretary, Suella Braverman, said the “alleged behaviour of some asylum seekers” was never an excuse for violence.
“I condemn the appalling disorder in Knowsley last night,” she said in a Twitter post on Saturday evening.
“The alleged behaviour of some asylum seekers is never an excuse for violence and intimidation.”
She thanked Merseyside police officers for their efforts to keep people safe.
Labour’s shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, said: “The shameful and appalling scenes in Knowsley show how far-right groups are using social media to organise and promote violence.
“Everyone should support Merseyside police in dealing with extremism and violence. The home secretary is wrong to dismiss far-right threats for political reasons. Instead she should be championing vigilance against all kinds of extremism.”
Sunder Katwala, director of thinktank British Future, said the disorder in Knowsley realised “fears that asylum dispersal is becoming a flashpoint for extremist agitation” and that politicians needed to take more care to avoid “inflammatory language”.
“Politicians will be debating a new asylum bill. It is their responsibility to get a grip on an orderly and humane asylum process,” he said. “There needs to be more care to avoid inflammatory language and impossible promises where unmet expectations can fuel frustration and anger further.”
One asylum seeker from Afghanistan who had been placed in the hotel by the Home Office with four friends from his country told Clare Moseley, the founder of the charity Care4Calais, on Saturday that he did not feel safe there. “We want to transfer anywhere in England or Scotland but we don’t want to stay here.”
He said that he and one of his friends had received verbal harassment and abuse while walking down the street.
“Please help us. This place is not safe for us,” he said.
The organisation Hope Not Hate posted analysis of Friday evening’s events online and said it believed that far-right groups Patriotic Alternative and Britain First had not formally organised Friday night’s protest, although both had been a visible presence in the area recently with Patriotic Alternative leafleting residents in the past few days with the slogan “5 Star Hotels For Migrants Whilst Brits Freeze”.
The protest was advertised in far-right Telegram chats.
In its analysis statement, Hope Not Hate said: “This terrible incident does not stand in isolation, but is the product of repeated demonising and scapegoating of people who are migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, as well as attacks on the organisations who support them.”
In a blog post about Friday night’s events, Moseley wrote: “There were a large squad of police, but with sheer weight of numbers and conspicuously good organisation, they broke through police lines and reached a van. They attacked and ransacked the van, and one thug clambered on to its roof before the mob set it on fire. At this point extra police officers in riot gear arrived, and we became deeply concerned for our own safety and that of the refugees.
“It seemed all hell was breaking loose: shouting, fireworks being thrown, more fires lit, police vans with flashing lights arriving and then what seemed like the burning van exploding.”
The Home Office said: “The scenes outside the hotel and violence toward police officers last night by a group of people in Merseyside were totally unacceptable. We are working closely with Merseyside police and partners on the ground to ensure the safety of those in our care and the wider community.”
