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London: Police across Britain are bracing for more violence on Saturday after another night of rioting by right-wing protesters that saw four officers hospitalized during a tense standoff outside a mosque in the northeastern English city of Sunderland.
During the violent disturbance on Friday evening, protesters hurled beer barrels, fire extinguishers and stones at police officers. A car was set on fire, a police station was attacked. Most of the people involved were not from the city and had traveled to spread the chaos, according to the police.
The violence in Sunderland, which saw ten people arrested, is the latest outbreak of violence in the past few days and nights, which apparently flared up after Monday's stabbing at a dance class in the northwestern seaside town of Southport. Girl dies and many injured. A 17-year-old youth has been arrested.
False rumors circulating online about the identity of the young man, who is Muslim and an immigrant, fueled anger among far-right supporters. Suspects under the age of 18 are not usually named in Britain, but Judge Andrew Menary ordered that Axel Rudakubana, born in Wales to Rwandan parents, be identified to prevent the spread of false information.
In a press briefing on Saturday after the clear-up, Northumbria Police Chief Superintendent Mark Hall described the violent protests in Sunderland as “inexcusable” and four police officers injured, three as a direct result of the disorder. He also said that one of the passengers was seriously injured in the accident and he is being treated at the hospital.
“During the evening, our officers encountered severe and sustained violence,” he said. “Make no mistake, if you were involved last night, expect to be met with the full force of the law.”
More than 20 protests are expected over the weekend, including in Belfast, Cardiff, Liverpool and Manchester. Police said many of those rallying support with phrases such as “enough,” “save our children” and “stop the boats” were organized online by shadowy far-right groups. Counter-protests are also expected with Stand Up to Racism, an organization that rallies against Islamophobia and the far right.
Police have deployed more officers over the weekend, provided more jail cells and will use surveillance and facial recognition technology.
Britain's new Labor Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said on social media platform X on Saturday that criminals who attack police will “pay the price” for their treachery and that police have “the full support of the Government to take the strongest possible action”. “
Far-right protesters clashed with police outside a mosque in Southport on Tuesday – near the scene of a horrific stabbing – and have held several violent protests since stabbings with beer cans, bottles and flares near the prime minister's office in London. . The people of Southport are visibly angry at the organized acts of random violence which have added to their shock and grief.
Monday's attack on children at a Taylor Swift-themed summer dance class shocked a country where knife crime is a long-standing and troubling problem, although mass stabbings are rare.
Rudakubana has been charged with murder for killing 9-year-old Alice DaSilva Aguirre, 7-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and 6-year-old Babe King. He is also charged with 10 counts of attempted murder of eight children and two adults. injured
Prime Minister Keir Starmer blamed the violence on “extreme right-wing hatred” and vowed to end the violence. He said police across the UK would be given more resources to tackle the “deterioration of law and order on our streets”.
At a press conference on Thursday, the prime minister said street violence was “clearly driven by far-right hatred” as he announced a program to enable police to better share intelligence across agencies and move faster to make arrests.
“It's coordinated; it's intentional,” Stammer said. “This is not a movement out of hand. It is a group of people who are totally bent on violence. “