Donna Jones, Hampshire’s Conservative police and crime commissioner, is stubbornly refusing to back down from a controversial statement in which she appeared to justify far-right activities and unrest across the UK.

Ms Jones had said in the statement posted online on Saturday evening that arresting thugs was “treating the symptoms, not the causes”, before deleting it after widespread criticism. She republished the statement on the official website of the Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner, but with a clarification stressing that she did not condone the violent scenes.

Apparently Ms Jones had decided, or been ordered to, remove the poster because of its provocative language at a time of heightened tensions in the UK, where violent social unrest has occurred in Southport, Liverpool, Hull, Hartlepool, London, Belfast and Rotherham.

But it has since emerged that Ms Jones removed the statement because it related to her role as chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners. She kept the statement on her Facebook page and reposted it on the official Hampshire PCC website at around 3pm, just as far-right thugs were besieging and setting fire to a migrant hotel in Rotherham.

Critics had reacted angrily to the wording in her statement, which appeared to blame migrants and a “lack of British values”.

Former Attorney General Nazir Afzal shared the statement in a tweet and called it “totally unacceptable.”

Liberal Democrat MP Paul Kohler added: “I trust that Shadow Home Secretary James Cleverly and Shadow Lord Chancellor Edward Argar will immediately distance their party from this deeply irresponsible statement by Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Donna Jones.”

Eastleigh MP Liz Jarvis said: “The statement by Hampshire PCC MP Donna Jones seeking to justify the crime we have seen across the UK this week is far from an appeal for calm. It is divisive, inflammatory and utterly irresponsible. Her position is clearly untenable.”

Danny Chambers, MP for Winchester, said: “I am deeply concerned to learn that Hampshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner believes the rioters who are trashing our streets and attacking mosques are motivated by ‘the need to defend British values’. These extreme views make her completely unsuitable for this responsible position.”

However, Mrs Jones received support from the Conservatives and the right wing political camp.

Mark Littlewood, chief executive of Popcon UK, the movement founded by Liz Truss, said: “An important statement. The current government must either (a) listen to this and do a U-turn or (b) brand Donna Jones a ‘far-right activist’. I almost think they might well do (b). God help us.”

Far-right politician Tommy Robinson asked in a tweet why she had initially retracted the statement and approved of her words.

He said: “Britain’s most senior police chief issues statement following riots calling on government to listen to public concerns.”

In her statement, Ms Jones said: “I have spoken to people from both sides of the spectrum and the only way to stem the tide of violent unrest is to acknowledge its causes.”

“While the devastating attacks in Southport on Tuesday were a catalyst, the commonalities among protest groups appear to centre on three core areas: the desire to protect Britain’s sovereignty, the need to uphold British values ​​and, to achieve this, to stop illegal immigration.”

Ms Jones demanded that “the government must recognise the causes of social unrest in order to be able to prevent it”.

In an additional statement added to the original statement on the Hampshire PCC website, she said: “I want to make clear that the violence that has erupted across the UK this week was criminal, unlawful and senseless.

“I stand by my statement made yesterday calling for calm and urging the whole country to work together to stop this thoughtless, criminal behaviour.

“I fully support the police’s measures to contain these unrests. Anyone who acts outside the law must expect to feel the full force of these measures.

“The violence we have witnessed has endangered our communities and infected lawful protests on a much broader issue.

“We should try as a country to understand this problem without allowing it to divide us.

“I am confident that there will be a time and place for this discussion.”