Merseyside Police said 13 men and two women, aged 13 to 54, have been arrested on suspicion of violent disorder following “violent and despicable” protests outside the Suites Hotel in Knowsley on Friday. Protesters gathered outside a Merseyside hotel, throwing lit fireworks at police officers and setting a Matrix van on fire, where migrants are being housed on Friday. Police appealed for calm as they moved to disperse the crowd amid claims of a “full-fledged riot.” A total of 15 people have so far been arrested following the protests.
A Merseyside force spokesman confirmed the total number of arrests, saying: “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.”
Violence escalated last night with footage showing with protesters using sledgehammers to attack a police vehicle, while officers dealt with two groups of protesters.
Protesters threw lit fireworks at police officers outside the Knowsley hotel and offenders also attacked a Matrix police van, with videos obtained by the ECHO showing people smashing it with hammers before torching it.
Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy 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.”
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