Following Monday’s violence, protesters attacked police and set fires in Sunderland on Friday. murder of three children Spread to another northern city in north-west England.
According to the BBC, anti-immigrant protesters threw stones at police wearing anti-riot gear near a mosque in the city, and overturned vehicles, set a car on fire and started a fire near a police office.
Northumbria Police said its officers had “faced serious violence” and were still dealing with ongoing disorder.
“The scenes we are witnessing are completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” the force said in a statement on X.
The protest in Sunderland was one of more than a dozen held by anti-immigration protesters across Britain this weekend, including in areas around at least two mosques in Liverpool; Liverpool is the city where the children were murdered.
Several anti-racism counter-demonstrations were also planned.
Officials said British police were deployed across the country on Friday and security at mosques was tightened.
A 17-year-old boy has been charged with murdering girls in a stabbing attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop in the seaside town of Southport; the crime has shocked the nation.
Over the next few days there were violent incidents in Southport, the northeastern town of Hartlepool and London, prompted by false information on social media claiming the suspect in a stabbing incident was a radical Islamist migrant.
In an effort to quell misinformation, police have stressed that the suspect, Axel Rudakubana, was born in Britain.
Speedy Justice
Earlier on Friday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited Southport for the second time since the killings.
“As a nation, we stand with those who have lost loved ones in the horrific attack in Southport, which has torn apart the fabric of this community and left us all in shock,” he said in a statement.
British police chiefs have agreed to deploy large numbers of officers over the weekend to prevent violence.
“Our intelligence, briefings and the resources available to local communities will be increased,” Gavin Stephens, chairman of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, told BBC radio.
“There will be additional prosecutors available to make quick decisions, so we will see speedy justice.”
The Muslim Council of Britain said mosques across the country were also on a high level of alert.
Zara Mohammed, the council’s general secretary for security, said representatives from hundreds of mosques agreed to strengthen security measures at a briefing on Thursday. Many at the meeting also expressed concern about the safety of their worshippers after receiving threatening and abusive phone calls.
“I think there’s a feeling in the community that we’re not going to be afraid, but we’re going to be careful and cautious,” Mohammed said in an interview.
Police in Southport said they were aware of planned protests and had “comprehensive plans and adequate police resources” to deal with any disorder. Protesters in Southport attacked police on Tuesday evening, set vehicles on fire and threw bricks at a mosque.
Police in Northern Ireland also said they were planning a “proportionate police response” after learning of plans by various groups to block roads, stage protests and march to the Islamic centre in Belfast over the weekend.