Merseyside Police said 13 men and two women, aged 13 to 54, have been arrested on suspicion of violent disorder following a protest outside the Suites Hotel in Knowsley on Friday. Protesters gathered outside a Merseyside hotel where migrants are being housed, with police appealing for calm as they move to disperse the crowd amid claims of a “full-fledged riot.”
A force spokesman said: “At around 6.30pm, officers were facilitating a peaceful protest and counter-protest at the Suites Hotel on Ribblers Lane in Knowsley.
“Sadly, a short while later a number of people, who were not part of the original protest group, turned up and it is clear that they were only interested in causing trouble through violence and intimidation, without any thought, or care, for other members of the public, or our officers.
“During the evening, missiles including lit fireworks were thrown at officers and one of our police vans was attacked by offenders, using hammers before setting it on fire.
“An officer and two members of the public received slight injuries. The crowds dispersed and roads were reopened in the early hours of this morning.”
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