Violent riots erupt in British cities after tragic Southport stabbings
6:42 AM EDT, August 4, 2024
In several British cities on Saturday, violent riots broke out following the killing of three girls in Southport near Liverpool. Prime Minister Keir Starmer assured that the police have the government's full support in taking action against extremists.
The events on Monday in Southport, where 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana—born in the United Kingdom but of Rwandan descent—stabbed three girls participating in a children's dance and yoga course and injured another 10 people, sparked a wave of demonstrations of far-right, anti-Islamic, and anti-immigrant nature on a scale not seen in the country for years. Although Starmer promised that he would not allow lawlessness in the streets on Thursday and announced the creation of a new police unit to combat such disturbances, there's no sign that the protests are waning.
On Saturday, demonstrations took place in Liverpool, Bristol, Nottingham, Leeds, Blackpool, Hull, Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, and Belfast. Counter-demonstrations, which were generally larger, also took place in some of these cities.
The most severe riots occurred in Liverpool, where demonstrators threw stones, bottles, and cans at police officers, sending two officers to the hospital. Clashes also occurred in Bristol and Nottingham between far-right supporters and left-wing counter-protesters. Meanwhile, in Hull, protest participants attempted to attack a hotel housing illegal immigrants seeking asylum.
Prime Minister speaks of "extremists"
Prime Minister Starmer met on Saturday with several ministers from his cabinet, including his deputy, Minister of the Interior, and Minister of Justice, to discuss public order disturbances and unrest observed in recent days.
After the meeting, he declared that the police officers "have our full support to take action against extremists on our streets who are attacking police officers, disrupting local businesses and attempting to sow hate by intimidating communities."
"The right to freedom of expression and the violent disorder we have seen are two very different things," he said, adding that "there is no excuse for violence of any kind."
On Tuesday, riots took place in Southport, on Wednesday in London near Downing Street and in Hartlepool in North East England, and on Friday evening in Sunderland, also in North East England. In the latter cases, a police station was set on fire, among other incidents.
