People look at a fire outside a hotel providing refuge to asylum seekers following a protest in Knowsley near Liverpool, Britain February 10, 2023 in this still image obtained from a social media video.
After an anti-refugee protest outside a motel that previously housed asylum seekers descended into violence outside Liverpool, England, police made 15 arrests.
According to Merseyside Police, the commotion on Friday night in Knowsley left one police officer and two bystanders with minor wounds.
A police van was set on fire, according to the police, who said some demonstrators threw projectiles. The people seized were held “after violent disruption,” and their ages ranged from 13 to 54.
It was really dangerous, and a few police officers were hurt, Merseyside Police Commissioner Emily Spurrell told Radio City.
According to local media, the Home Office has been temporarily housing asylum seekers at the hotel since last year.
The violence on Friday night, according to Knowsley’s MP George Howarth, did not represent the neighborhood.
The residents of Knowsley, he claimed, “are not bigots, and they are welcoming to people fleeing from some of the most dangerous places in the world in search of a place of safety.” “Those opposing refugees who are participating in this rally tonight do not speak for this community.”
As more refugees and migrants go over the English Channel in small boats, tensions have risen as a result of the protest.
In 2022, more over 45,000 persons entered the UK using that method, the majority of them requested asylum.
Political unrest and administrative bottlenecks have caused the asylum application process to sluggishly grind to a halt, trapping many applicants for asylum in hotels or other short-term housing.
The Conservative administration has promised to “stop the boats” and is pursuing a plan to send these asylum seekers to Rwanda, turning the Channel crossings into a political issue.
Administration critics claim that the government demonizes desperate refugees from conflict and poverty.
