A teenager has been charged with violent disorder and assault after a protest broke out outside a hotel housing asylum seekers.
Jarad Skeete, 19, of Irwell Close, Aigburth, Liverpool, was among 15 people arrested after violence broke out outside the Suites Hotel in Knowsley on Friday evening, Merseyside Police said.
A police officer and two members of the public were hurt as missiles including lit fireworks were thrown and a police van was set alight, when clashes between pro- and anti-migrant groups turned violent.
Skeete has been remanded in custody and will appear at Wirral Adult Remand Court on Monday.
The 14 others arrested – 12 men and two women – have been released on conditional bail pending the outcome of police inquiries.
Knowsley Council said that the hotel has been used to accommodate asylum seekers since January when the Home Office gave less than 48 hours’ notice of its intention to do so.
Knowsley MP Sir George Howarth said the demonstration was triggered by “an alleged incident posted on social media” – where a man was said to have made inappropriate advances towards a teenage girl. Police investigated and, on the advice of the Crown Prosecution Service, no further action was taken.
Sir George said: “The people of Knowsley are not bigots and are welcoming to people escaping from some of the most dangerous places in the world in search of a place of safety.
“Those demonstrating against refugees at this protest tonight do not represent this community,” he said.
Clare Moseley, founder of refugee charity Care4Calais, said she was among 100 to 120 people from pro-migrant groups who went to the scene in reaction to the protest to show support for the asylum seekers, adding it was “like a war zone”.
The violence was also condemned by politicians. Shadow levelling up secretary and Wigan MP Lisa Nandy described the disorder as “absolutely horrendous”, and criticised the government for creating a “toxic mix” of anti-migrant rhetoric and poor service provision.
She told the BBC: “The story of the last decade has been the story of people across this country throwing open their homes to refugees from Ukraine, stepping up to support the Syrian appeal, when we had impending disaster.
“Even in the last few weeks, we’ve had people across the north of England stepping forward to put forward record donations to help with the appalling situation in Turkey and Syria.
“There are a small number of far-right activists who whip up hate and hostility in this country, we all need to speak with one voice when we say that we utterly condemn them.”
Ms Nandy described the government’s decisions to contract out asylum services, forgo consultation with communities and place refugees in unsuitable accommodation as a “recipe for disaster”.
Referring to home secretary Suella Braverman, she said: “When you lay onto that a government that talks about things like an ‘invasion’ in relation to immigration, you have a perfect storm, a really toxic mix that is being created.”
On Saturday, Ms Braverman condemned the disorder, adding that the “alleged behaviour of some asylum seekers is never an excuse for violence”.
Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell also criticised the violence and said the government was seeking to limit the “excessive use” of asylum hotels.
He told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme: “We live in a country where peaceful protest is part of our way of life and I strongly support that.
“But violence in the way that we saw on Friday night is completely unacceptable, and the government condemn it absolutely.”
He rejected suggestions that the government had helped stir up anti-migrant sentiment, adding that it has housed “thousands and thousands of Ukrainian refugees” along with people from Hong Kong and Afghanistan.
“We have a duty to welcome these people – often they are caught in desperate jeopardy, but equally we have a duty to house them appropriately and to work with local people,” he said.
“The Home Office is trying very hard now to stop the excessive use of hotels and find different ways of placing them in appropriate places in the community. And that is something that the Home Office will achieve.”
Assistant Chief Constable Paul White said the force respected the right to protest but the abuse of officers and damage to police vehicles was “disgraceful”.
“We have arrested some of those suspects and will continue without hesitation to review all and any evidence which comes in, through CCTV, images or other information you may have,” he said.
