UK police brace for further violent unrest in wake of Southport stabbings
(CNN) — UK police are bracing for further violent unrest this weekend after three young girls were murdered in a knife attack on Monday, triggering a wave of disorder across the country.
Eight people were arrested and three police officers were injured during the latest round of violent protests in Sunderland, northeast England, on Friday.
Hundreds of rioters pelted police with stones, shouted anti-Islam slogans and targeted a local mosque, PA Media reported, in scenes police called “completely unacceptable.”
The latest clashes come days after violent far-right protests broke out in the northwestern town of Southport, where a teenage suspect fatally stabbed three girls aged between six and nine during an event at a dance school.
The attack was the UK’s worst on children in recent history. Far-right agitators have seized on the attack to mobilize around online misinformation and hateful, anti-migrant and anti-Muslim narratives.
The unrest is set to continue this weekend. According to anti-racism charity Hope Not Hate, as many as 35 protests are due to take place across the UK this weekend under a “broad anti-multiculturalism, anti-Muslim and anti-Government agenda.”
The charity adds that events will “vary in size and nature” and while some may not materialize, others have the potential to turn violent.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today program on Friday, Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council Gavin Stephens said police chiefs had agreed to “step up resourcing” over the weekend.
“We will have surge capacity in our intelligence, in our briefing, and in the resources that are out in local communities.”
In a statement issued Friday, the Muslim Council of Britain urged mosques to be vigilant and strengthen security measures following “deeply disturbing scenes of mobs targeting mosques in Southport and Hartlepool.”
Secretary-General of the council, Zara Mohammed, said: “Given reports of more planned protests, we encourage communities to be extra vigilant and to enhance security measures.”
Videos circulating on social media from the Sunderland protest show a local police station on fire and large crowds gathered carrying anti-immigrant signs.
“The shocking scenes we have witnessed in Sunderland this evening are completely unacceptable,” Chief Superintendent Barron said.
“I want to make it absolutely clear that the disorder, violence and damage which has occurred will not be tolerated.”
The local fire service told CNN it had responded to a “building fire” in the city center and had deployed six fire engines to the scene.
Earlier this week, police said they believed the crowd in Southport took to the streets over unconfirmed reports speculating on the identity of the teenage stabbings suspect.
The 17-year-old appeared at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court on Thursday and was named as Axel Rudakubana after a judge lifted the reporting restrictions that normally apply to minors.
He has been charged with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder, as well as possession of a bladed article.
Police have said the suspect was born in Wales and lived in a village nearby, according to Reuters.
Lewis Atkinson, Labour MP for Sunderland Central, said on X that he was “appalled” by the scenes of destruction in the city on Friday.
“Our city is not represented by a tiny minority causing trouble,” Atkinson added, pledging his “full support” for the police to respond to “criminal thuggery and work to protect all the communities of our city.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper warned criminals stoking disorder “will pay the price for their violence and thuggery,” in a post on X on Friday.
“The police have the full backing of Government to take the strongest possible action & ensure they face the full force of the law. They do not represent Britain,” she said.
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