LONDON, United Kingdom –
Far-right activists and anti-racism groups faced off in cities across the U.K. on Saturday as tensions remained high following a stabbing rampage at a dance class earlier this week that left three girls dead and several wounded.
With dozens of protests scheduled to take place around the country, police have mounted a significant security operation, deploying thousands more officers onto the streets, many in their riot gear. Police have also made more prison cells available and are using surveillance and facial recognition technology.
On Saturday, there were some isolated incidents of violence despite the high police presence. Bricks were thrown at police officers in Stoke-on-Trent in central England while the windows of a hotel used to house migrants were smashed in the northeast city of Hull. And in Liverpool, a police officer on a motorbike was kicked and knocked off his vehicle.
Scuffles have also been reported in Belfast, Manchester and Nottingham. In London, thousands of pro-Palestinian marched to protest against Israel’s military operation in Gaza.
The latest standoffs come a day after protesters in Sunderland in northeast England tossed beer barrels and rocks at police officers. A car and the building next door to a police station were set ablaze.
The violence in Sunderland, which saw ten people arrested, is the latest over the past few days and nights, which have ostensibly erupted in the wake of Monday’s stabbing attack in the northwest seaside town of Southport. A 17-year-old male has been arrested.
False rumors spread online about the young man’s identity, being a Muslim and an immigrant, fueled anger among far-right supporters. Suspects under 18 are usually not named in the U.K., but Judge Andrew Menary ordered Axel Rudakubana, born in Wales to Rwandan parents, to be identified, in part to stop the spread of misinformation.
People protest in Leeds, England, Saturday Aug. 3, 2024, following the stabbing attacks on Monday in Southport, in which three young children were killed. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)
In a press briefing on Saturday after the clear-up, Northumbria Police Chief Superintendent Mark Hall described the violent protests in Sunderland as “unforgivable” and that four police officers were injured, three as a direct result of the disorder. He also said a mounted rider sustained serious injuries in an accident and is receiving treatment in hospital.
“During the course of the evening, our officers were met with serious and sustained levels of violence,” he said. “Make no mistake, if you were involved last night, expect to be met with the full force of the law.”
Police said many of the protests are being organized online by shadowy far-right groups, who are mobilizing support online with phrases like “enough is enough,” “save our kids” and “stop the boats.” Counter-protests are also anticipated with the organization Stand Up To Racism rallying against Islamophobia and the far-right.
Britain’s new Labour Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said on social media platform X Saturday that criminals attacking the police and stoking disorder will “pay the price” for their thuggery and that the police have the full backing of the government to “take the strongest possible action.”
Far-right demonstrators have held several violent protests since the stabbing attack, clashing with police Tuesday outside a mosque in Southport — near the scene of the horrific stabbing — and hurling beer cans, bottles and flares near the prime minister’s office in London the next day. Many in Southport have expressed their anger at the organized acts of violence in the wake of the tragedy.
The attack Monday on children at a Taylor Swift-themed summer dance class shocked a country where knife crime is a long-standing and vexing problem, though mass stabbings are rare.
Rudakubana, has been charged with murder over the attack that killed Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Bebe King, six. He also has been charged with 10 counts of attempted murder for the eight children and two adults who were wounded.
Demonstrators march in support of Palestinians, in London, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has blamed the violence on “far-right hatred” and vowed to end the mayhem. He said police across the U.K. would be given more resources to stop “a breakdown in law and order on our streets.”
At a news conference Thursday, the prime minister said the street violence was “clearly driven by far-right hatred” as he announced a program enabling police to better share intelligence across agencies and move quickly to make arrests.
“This is coordinated; this is deliberate,” Starmer said. “This is not a protest that has got out of hand. It is a group of individuals who are absolutely bent on violence.”