There were scenes of violence and vandalism in Liverpool last night, after a large group of protesters gathered outside of a hotel homing asylum seekers. The mobilisation of the far-right has since been condemned by Liverpool’s Mayor, Steve Rotherham.
Knowsley riots: Far-right take to the streets in Liverpool
Anger has been brewing in the region, and tensions surrounding the location of migrants were brought to the boil on Friday. A viral video, allegedly depicting one of the asylum seekers propositioning a minor, has fuelled a lot of the fury.
- Footage from the unrest Knowsley was shared far and wide on social media, painting a rather disturbing picture:
Migrant charity ‘caught up’ in far-right violence
Care4Calais, a pro-migrant charity, were present at the scene of the riots. They report that more than one police officer was also injured during the demonstration. As per their version of events, the authorities were ‘struggling to control’ the fervent crowds.
“We are part of a counter-protest against the far-right demo. The hotel staff will not let us shelter in the hotel. We are terrified. The police seem to have lost control and there is a danger people are going to be seriously hurt.”
“The situation has got out of control. We understand police officers may have been injured by far-right thugs at the demonstration tonight. We thank Mersey Police for their organisation and professionalism tonight.” | Care4Calais
Liverpool Mayor ‘set to visit site’ on Saturday
Steve Rotherham has also expressed his dismay on Saturday morning. He reiterated that Liverpool remains ‘a sanctuary for people seeking refuge’, and slammed the outright hatred expressed by the protesters.
“Our area has been a sanctuary for people seeking refuge for centuries. The disturbing scenes in Knowsley aren’t representative of our area or its people. Hatred is not welcome here. I’ll be visiting the site with the leader of Knowsley Council today” | Steve Rotherham
