LONDON – Three people were arrested on suspicion of violent disorder during an anti-immigration demonstration outside a hotel in the United Kingdom.
The hotel is used to house asylum seekers near Liverpool and anti-immigrant protesters are believed to be from far right group. The incident happened at a time when tensions are flaring up because record numbers of migrants are crossing the Channel in small boats.
The interior ministry has also come up with a controversial plan to send such asylum seekers to Rwanda, triggering mixed views from the observers.
Merseyside Police said ‘missiles’ had been thrown at officers and a police vehicle was damaged after demonstrators rallied late Friday. The demonstration happened outside the Suites Hotel in Knowsley and reports say a police van was set on fire as well.
It is still not sure as to who was behind the demonstration but rights group pin blame on far-right groups.
Assistant Chief Constable Paul White said the event put officers and the wider community in danger. Meanwhile, Merseyside police commissioner Emily Spurrell told Radio City station that there were a couple of injuries amongst the police officers as well.
Some claim that an incident happened few days before the demonstration involving a teenage girl in Knowsley in which a man made inappropriate advances; however, investigations are underway.
The asylum seekers are housed since last year and have been a constant topic of debate between the government and the opposition.
Protesters outside the hotel also shouted slogans such as ‘Get them out’ and others decrying immigration and asylum seekers.
