Asylum seekers living at the Suites Hotel in Knowsley are said to have been targeted, together with staff and non-white people in the local area.

Merseyside Police said it is now investigating 10 crimes related to the hotel since the protest - including "assaults, malicious communications and verbal abuse, both of staff, residents and people wrongly assumed to be connected to the premises".

Violence erupted when hundreds of demonstrators assembled outside the hotel on 10 February after rumours circulated on social media about an alleged incident "when a man made inappropriate advances towards a teenage girl."

The force said an investigation was ongoing and urged people not to speculate.

The scenes of disorder, described as a "warzone", saw a police van vandalised and set ablaze while missiles including lit fireworks were hurled at officers.

Police say those involved used rumours and allegations as an excuse to commit violence.

Labour MP for Knowsley, Sir George Howarth, told parliament the situation has "deteriorated" since the protest, describing how refugees fleeing violence abroad found themselves "in an unsafe position in this country".

He branded the violence as "shameful" when he spoke out in the House of Commons on Monday against the government's Illegal Migration Bill - calling for Home Secretary Suella Braverman to be mindful of her language when speaking about asylum and immigration.

'Communities and police officers out at risk'

Several charities warned of a "high risk of premeditated extremist attacks across the country" after the violence outside the Suites Hotel - and called for political leaders to take a "clear stand" and condemn the violence.

An open letter, co-ordinated by Together with Refugees, a coalition of more than 500 national and local organisations, criticised "inflammatory language" and policies that "demonise" people seeking refuge.

Knowsley community policing superintendent for Merseyside Police, Karl Baldwin, said: "The incident in February put those in the community and our officers at risk.

"Those involved used rumours and allegations as an excuse to commit violence and intimidate members of the public."

The hotel received a number of reportedly racist and obscene phone calls one day after the protest, Mr Baldwin said.

A man aged 51 from the local area was arrested and has now been released on bail.

Three weeks later two hotel residents were confronted by a gang of men shouting threats before following them into a local park and attacking them.

The following day, 28 February, a man was attacked by two male suspects on electric bikes, armed with batons.

The victims suffered minor injuries during the attacks - which are being treated as hate crimes.

Officers are also investigating reports of people being verbally abused near the hotel.

Read more:
Child who crossed Channel in dinghy quizzes Starmer on asylum plans
Exclusive: Asylum seekers going 'underground' over Rwanda deportation fears
Dozens feared dead after migrant boat capsizes in the Med

Mr Baldwin added: "Such incidents can be the consequence of misinformation and rumour which can circulate and be shared by people with no thought to the harm and distress caused.

"We encourage everyone to view such information sceptically. What plays out online can have real world consequences that put innocent people in harm's way."

Some 15 people were arrested after the protests outside the hotel, which is still being investigated by police.

Among them was Jared Skeete, 19, from Aigburth, Liverpool, who was later charged with assaulting an emergency worker during the demonstration.

He was convicted of violent disorder this week and is due to be sentenced in April.