Thirteen men and two women have been arrested after scenes of ‘deeply shocking’ violence erupted during a far-right protest outside a hotel housing asylum seekers.

Those apprehended range in age between 13 and 54.

Activists gathered outside the Suites Hotel in Prescot, Knowsley, last night to demonstrate against the migrants staying there.

Chaos then broke out after a counter-protest formed, with social media footage showing a police van set on fire.

Those detained were arrested on suspicion of violent disorder and taken to police stations to be questioned.

A Merseyside Police 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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The evening was apparently triggered by a social media video showing a 25-year-old man speaking with a 15-year-old girl.

Footage shows some protesters shouting ‘n**ces’ at the hotel and then complaining that the police are ‘protecting the n**ces’.

Flyers were reportedly used to organise the demonstration earlier in the day, they read: ‘Five-star hotels for migrants while Brits freeze’.

Labour MP Sir George referred the ‘alleged incident’ involving the 15-year-old girl to the police and stressed ‘it is too soon to jump to conclusions’ until it has been investigated.

He said: ‘If an offence has been committed, the police should deal with it appropriately through due process.

‘In addition, the misinformation about refugees being feather-bedded is untrue and intended to paint a picture that does not at all represent the facts.’

Founder of refugee charity Care4Calais Clare Moseley said she was among 100 to 120 people from pro-migrant groups who went to the scene in reaction to the protest to show support for the asylum seekers.

She said: ‘I’m trying to get in touch with some of the poor men in that hotel, I can only imagine how frightened they are. It was like a war zone.’

Sir George added: ‘The people of Knowsley are not bigots and are welcoming to people escaping from some of the most dangerous places in the world in search of a place of safety.

‘Those demonstrating against refugees at this protest tonight do not represent this community.

‘We are not like that and overwhelmingly behave with sympathy and kindness to others regardless of where they come from.’

The Refugee Council’s Mark Davies said those who had participated in or encouraged Friday night’s protests had brought ‘shame on this country’s long and proud record’ of helping those in need.

Sonya Sceats, chief executive at Freedom from Torture, aded: ‘These acts of hate are the inevitable culmination of a decade of anti-refugees policies and dog whistles to the far right by this government in a cynical bid to turn people against each other for political gain.

‘This isn’t who we are as a country, as the tidal wave of public support for Holocaust survivor Joan Salter’s recent appeal to the Home Secretary demonstrates.

‘Now is the time for Rishi Sunak to put an immediate stop to the hateful rhetoric and policies emanating from his government in line with his pledge to lead the country with integrity and accountability.’

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