Riots in England's Rotherham town leave hotel damaged, people in 'shock'

ROTHERHAM, England

A hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham town in South Yorkshire, a metropolitan county of England, was targeted by far-right rioters on Sunday, on the sixth day of violent disorder, leaving the hotel damaged and people in "shock."

Rioters threw planks of wood at officers and sprayed them with fire extinguishers before smashing hotel windows to gain access to the premises as riots continued to escalate in towns and cities across England.

Around 700 people attended the riots where they set a generator and a large bin close to a window of the hotel alight, causing a small fire.

South Yorkshire police said in a statement late Sunday that at least 10 officers have been injured as a result of the violence, with one left unconscious following a head injury.

Police on Monday manned the area where local volunteers teamed up with council staff for cleaning efforts around the hotel.

Speaking to Anadolu, Alyssa Briggs, a local volunteer, said that what happened on Sunday was "scary, and uncalled for."

"I don't have a problem with peaceful protest, everybody has an opinion. However, it didn't need to escalate into the rioting that it went into," she noted.

Calling the incident "shocking," she expressed "disbelief that people could be so violent and cause such damage in a community where people live with children, families."

Speaking to reporters in Sheffield, Assistant Chief Constable Lindsey Butterfield announced that six people — one in Sheffield, five in Rotherham — were arrested with one person charged over Sunday’s riots.

“Yesterday was a dark day,” she said, saying that a total of 750 people attending the riots.

“We believe, they held far right and anti-immigration views … windows were smashed, and there was a concerted effort to cause damage to the interior and serious harm to those inside,” Butterfield said.

She added: “Please be assured, if you were there, we will find you and you will be held accountable for your part in yesterday's violence.”