'Mob-type' protest at asylum hotel condemned by PCC

Police remained outside the hotel on Thursday morning

A peaceful demonstration descended into a "mob-type" protest at a hotel housing asylum seekers, a police and crime commissioner (PCC) has said.

People holding placards with slogans such as "no apartments for illegals" and "deport them, don't support them" lined a road near the Potters International Hotel in Aldershot on Wednesday evening.

A wall was destroyed to obtain objects including bricks to throw, Hampshire and Isle of Wight PCC Donna Jones said.

Aldershot MP Alex Baker, who posted on social media condemning the disturbance, said: "This incident was exacerbated by people from outside our community who came here determined to cause unrest."

Ms Baker added: “There is no justification for disorderly behaviour and these scenes do not represent Aldershot and Farnborough.

"We all support our right to peacefully protest but we will not stand for people coming to our towns determined to stir up trouble and divide our community.”

Protesters held placards outside the hotel

Ms Jones said the "mob-type" behaviour would not be tolerated.

She said: "At the moment the police are trying to understand if this was just a local protest group or if there were people that travelled from outside of the area."

On Thursday afternoon, Hampshire Constabulary confirmed it was investigating the disruption.

In a statement, the force said a minority of the 200-strong crowd "got involved in criminal activity, throwing objects and subjecting people to racial abuse."

An officer sustained minor injuries as a result of the trouble.

Assistant Chief Constable Paul Bartolomeo said: “Our specialist teams are working hard to identify anyone who has committed a criminal offence and we will take swift and robust action against those people."

The incident happened at the Potter's International Hotel on Wednesday

The Home Office said all accommodation sites had security staff and security was continually under review.

The protest came amid a number of incidents across the country following a fatal knife attack in Southport.

Three girls - Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar - died after a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed event in the Merseyside town on Monday.

A teenager, who is due to appear at Liverpool City Magistrates’ Court later on Thursday, has been charged with with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder.

Separately, more than 100 people were arrested in a protest in central London on Wednesday night following the deaths in Southport, the Metropolitan Police said.

There were also disturbances in Hartlepool and Manchester.