Three people have been arrested after a protest by activists against the UK’s refugee settlement escalated into violent clashes with police on Friday night outside a hotel hosting asylum seekers near Liverpool.
Videos shared on social media show hundreds of people gathered outside a hotel in Knowsley, near Liverpool. In some footage, a police van is seen on fire and officers are equipped with riot shields.
Several hundred far-right activists opposed to the reception of refugees in the United Kingdom gathered on Friday evening in front of this hotel, requisitioned since January 2022 by the Home Office to welcome asylum seekers there.
In support of the refugees housed inside, associations defending the rights of migrants had organized a counter-demonstration.
In a press release, the local police explained that they were covering an “initially peaceful” mobilization. But “during the evening, projectiles were thrown at the police and a police vehicle was damaged”, without causing any injuries.
“A total of three people were arrested on suspicion of violent disorder,” it added. “The scenes tonight are totally unacceptable,” said commissioner Paul White.
According to local Labor MP George Howarth, the protest was sparked by an “alleged incident posted on social media”. He also brushed aside criticism that the refugees would be “pampered” in the hotel.
“I’m trying to get in touch with the poor men who are in the hotel, I can only imagine how terrified they must be,” said Clare Moseley, head of the rights association. Care4Calais migrants.
The Conservative government, which has made the fight against immigration its priority for years, continues to toughen its rhetoric against refugees at a time when the asylum system is overwhelmed by the influx of migrants.
More than 45,000 people crossed the Channel in small makeshift boats in 2022 to seek asylum in the UK, a record.
Far-right Home Secretary Suella Braverman spoke in November of an “invasion” of England by migrants, sparking outcry in a country where the population remains overwhelmingly in favor of welcoming refugees, according to reports. surveys.