3 ay önce

Far-right hooliganism continues for fourth day across UK, mosque attacked

Violence first rocked Southport where a mob threw bricks at a mosque, prompting hundreds of Muslim places of worship across the country to step up security.

AP

Demonstrators threw chairs, flares and bricks at officers in the northwestern English city of Liverpool./ Photo: AP

Far-right protesters clashed with British police during tense rallies as unrest linked to misinformation about a mass stabbing that killed three young girls spread across the UK.

The violence on Saturday, which has seen scores of arrests across England and put Britain's Muslim community on edge, presents the biggest challenge yet of Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer's month-old premiership.

It has also put hard-right agitators linked to football hooliganism in the spotlight at a time when anti-immigration elements are enjoying some electoral success in British politics.

Merseyside Police said "a number of officers have been injured as they deal with serious disorder" in Liverpool city centre.

According to the BBC, protesters smashed the windows of a hotel which has been used to house migrants in the northeastern city of Hull, where police said three officers had been injured and four people arrested.

In Leeds, around 150 people carrying English flags chanted, "You're not English any more" while counter-protesters shouted "Nazi scum off our streets". Opposing groups of protesters also faced off in the central city of Nottingham.

They were fuelled by false rumours on social media about the background of British-born 17-year-old suspect Axel Rudakubana, charged with several counts of murder and attempted murder over the attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance party.

Violence first rocked Southport late on Tuesday, where a mob threw bricks at a mosque, prompting hundreds of Muslim places of worship across the country to step up security amid fears of more anti-Muslim demonstrations.

At least seven people killed in central London attack

Unforgivable violence

Police blamed supporters and associated organisations of the disbanded English Defence League, an anti-Islam organisation founded 15 years ago whose supporters have been linked to football hooliganism.

Unrest then rocked the northern cities of Hartlepool and Manchester as well as London 24 hours later, where 111 people were arrested outside Starmer's Downing Street residence.

A mob also torched a police station and attacked a mosque.

"This was not a protest, this was unforgivable violence and disorder," Northumbria Police Chief Superintendent Mark Hall told reporters Saturday.

Anti-racism campaign group Hope Not Hate identified more than 30 events planned for Saturday and Sunday.

Many of them were advertised on far-right social media channels as "enough is enough" anti-immigrant rallies, while anti-fascism groups stage numerous counter-protests.