Riot chaos: Violent protests erupt across UK

The UK is on red alert with mass brawls breaking out - as the country braces for another night of carnage.

Protests have erupted across the UK with cops injured while tackling mass brawls – as the country braces for another night of carnage linked to disinformation about a mass stabbing that killed three young girls at a Taylor Swift dance-club.

The demonstrations come after a shocking night of violence in Sunderland where a police station was set on fire and cops were left injured, The Sunreports.

On Saturday afternoon local time, protests had sprung up in Manchester, Leeds, Hull, Stoke, Liverpool, Blackpool, and Belfast, following a wave of violent disturbances stirred by false reports circulating online that the alleged teen knife murderer of three young girls was a Muslim asylum seeker.

UK police prepared for planned far-right protests and other demonstrations this weekend, after two nights of unrest in several English towns and cities, including Bristol (pictured), following a mass stabbing that killed three young girls. Picture: AFP.

Police officers try to restrain a protester in Liverpool on August 3, 2024 during the 'Enough is Enough' demonstration held in reaction to the fatal stabbings in Southport on July 29. Picture: AFP.

Riot cops formed barricades between rival groups of protesters with officers throwing tear gas into crowds as demonstrators fired flares.

In Liverpool, a number of officers were injured as chairs, bricks, bottles and flares were thrown.

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

The BBC reported that protesters smashed the windows of a hotel which has been used to house migrants in the northeastern city of Hull. Police said three officers had been injured and four people arrested.

In Belfast, Northern Ireland, fireworks were thrown amid tense exchanges between an anti-Islam group and an anti-racism rally.

In Leeds, northern England, 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 and Bristol in the southwest.

Police officers face protesters outside the Liver Building in Liverpool on August 3, 2024 during the 'Enough is Enough' demonstration. Picture: AFP.

Electric scooters are strewn across the road during the 'Enough is Enough' demonstration outside the Liver Building in Liverpool on August 3, 2024. Picture: AFP.

Far-right thugs marched through Manchester earlier in the day and quickly clashed with counter-protests by anti-racism groups.

Cops have arrested two men and issued a dispersal order as hundreds of protesters take to the streets of Manchester city centre.

About 200 people have gathered in Piccadilly Gardens for a protest entitled ‘Stand Up For Your Country: Enough is Enough’.

A counter protest – ‘Stop The Far Right’ – is also being held, attended by an estimated 350 people.

Similar scenes have erupted in Portsmouth, Nottingham, and Blackpool.

The latest skirmishes marked the fourth day of unrest in several towns and cities following Monday’s frenzied knife attack in Southport, near Liverpool on England’s northwest coast.

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.

Rudakubana is accused of killing Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, and injuring another 10 people.

The violence, 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.

Starmer has accused “thugs” of “hijacking” the nation’s grief to “sow hatred” and pledged that anyone carrying out violent acts would “face the full force of the law”.

And reacting to Saturday’s clashes, he said there was “no excuse” for the violence.

After talks with senior ministers he “reiterated that the government backs the police to take all necessary action to keep our streets safe”, said a statement from his office.

The violence started late on Tuesday in Southport itself, where a mob threw bricks at a mosque. That prompted hundreds of Muslim places of worship across the country to step up security.

- With The Sun

Originally published as Riot chaos: Violent protests erupt across UK