A teenager has been charged with assaulting an emergency worker during a protest outside a Merseyside hotel housing asylum seekers.
Fifteen people were arrested outside the Suites Hotel in Ribbers Lane, Knowsley, on Friday evening as a police van was set on fire after being attacked with hammers, and missiles, including lit fireworks, were thrown at officers.
An officer and two members of the public were slightly injured in the unrest, which has been condemned by politicians.
Jarad Skeete, 19, was among those held and has now been charged with violent disorder and assault by beating of an emergency worker.
Skeete, of Irwell Close in the Liverpool suburb of Aigburth, was remanded in custody and will appear at Wirral Adult Remand Court on Monday.
The remaining 14 people arrested at the protest have been conditionally bailed pending the outcome of police enquiries.
Two women and 12 men between the ages of 13 and 54 were arrested on suspicion of violent disorder.
Merseyside Police are appealing for information but said in a statement that “we would remind people to pass this information directly to police as social media speculation and comment can jeopardise live investigations”.
Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said officers had been made aware of rumours on social media prior to the protest about an alleged incident “when a man made inappropriate advances towards a teenage girl”.
She stressed there was an ongoing investigation and warned that misinformation could harm its outcome.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman condemned the “appalling disorder”, saying: “The alleged behaviour of some asylum seekers is never an excuse for violence and intimidation.”
Police in riot gear after a demonstration outside the Suites Hotel in Knowsley, Merseyside
Meanwhile, shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: “The shameful and appalling scenes in Knowsley show how far-right groups are using social media to organise and promote violence.”
“The home secretary is wrong to dismiss far-right threats for political reasons. Instead she should be championing vigilance against all kinds of extremism,” she added.
