Several police officers injured in protests across the UK

Several British police officers have been injured as far-right activists clash with anti-racism protesters amid violent demonstrations following the stabbing of multiple children at a dance class in Southport that left three girls dead and several wounded.

On Saturday, Merseyside Police said a number of officers were injured in “serious disorder” in the centre of Liverpool, about 32 kilometres away from the scene of the stabbing attack.

In a series of posts on the social media platform X, the force said there is “no place for this despicable behaviour which disrupts the lives of members of the public who live in the city, or are visiting to enjoy the amenities the city has to offer.”

Humberside Police in a statement said three police officers have been injured and four people arrested following disorder in Hull, a city in the northeast of England. Earlier, windows of a hotel in Hull that is used to house migrants were smashed.

A car and the building next door to a police station were set ablaze, and 12 people were arrested.

Elsewhere, bricks were thrown at police officers in Stoke-on-Trent in central England while scuffles have also been reported in Belfast, Manchester and Nottingham.

There were no reports of far-right marches in London.

Demonstrations are being promoted online over the coming days in towns and cities including Sunderland, Belfast, Cardiff, Liverpool and Manchester, using phrases including “enough is enough,” “save our kids” and “stop the boats.”

In response, police have mounted a significant security operation, deploying thousands more officers onto the streets, many in riot gear. 

Police have also made more prison cells available and are using surveillance and facial recognition technology.

Britain’s new Labour prime minister Keir Starmer held a crisis meeting with ministers on Saturday, in which he said police have the government’s “full support” to take action against “extremists” attacking officers and attempting to “sow hate,” according to his office in No. 10 Downing Street.

Fuelled by misinformation

Violence erupted after false rumours spread online that the suspect at the centre of the Southport stabbing was a young Muslim man and an immigrant, feeling anger among far-right supporters. 

Hours after the rumours began spreading, violent protesters clashed with police outside a nearby mosque.

Police say the name was fake, as were rumours that the 17-year-old suspect was an asylum-seeker who had recently arrived in Britain. 

The suspect charged with murder and attempted murder was named Thursday as Axel Rudakubana, born in the UK to Rwandan parents.

By the time a judge said the teen suspect could be identified, rumours already were rife and right-wing influencers had pinned the blame on immigrants and Muslims.

Suspects under 18 are usually not named in the UK, but Judge Andrew Menary ordered Axel Rudakubana, born in Wales to Rwandan parents, to be identified, in part to stop the spread of misinformation.