The UK is experiencing right-wing riots, with videos capturing the widespread chaos and violence. Get the latest updates and footage here.
In Manchester, Liverpool and many other towns and cities, confrontations occurred between demonstrators on the left-wing side of politics and police in response to protests.
Anti-immigration protesters have clashed with police in the UK following a series of violent right-wing demonstrations. The protests were sparked by the recent murder of three children, which was committed by a teenager who is believed to be of African descent.
On Saturday, over 30 protests occurred across various cities such as Liverpool, Nottingham, Leeds, Belfast, Stoke-on-Trent, Blackpool and Hull. These demonstrations followed the riots that happened in Southport nearly a week ago when Axel Rudakubana – a British-born teenager of Rwandan descent allegedly fatally stabbed three children and injured ten others.
Across England, the Southport riots gained momentum as more than 100 individuals were detained in London on Wednesday and a Sunderland police station was set ablaze on Friday.
On Saturday, demonstrators shouted out against immigration and Islam, even though Rudakubana is not of Muslim faith. Nevertheless, there has been an underlying tension between British natives and Muslim immigrants in northern England since it came to light that police hid the existence of multiple ‘grooming gangs’ within the area over a period spanning two decades.
Seven Muslim men were sentenced to prison in Leeds for raping eight British girls, which led to a protest where demonstrators chanted slogans like “pedophile Muslims off our streets” and “save our kids.” Police officers ensured that the protesters remained segregated from a group of pro-immigrant left-wingers who had arrived with plans for staging a counter-demonstration.
Left and right-wing protesters clashed in Manchester, with the latter group throwing fences and other debris at police officers who were trying to keep them apart.
There was also a confrontation between the police and protesters in Liverpool, which resulted in two officers being admitted to hospital after having bricks and other objects thrown at them.
In Bristol, sporadic clashes between left- and right-wing groups could not be prevented by police officers.
Muslim men were seen marching with machetes and other weapons in video footage allegedly taken from the city of Stoke.
A police officer featured in a video requests men to relinquish their weapons near a nearby mosque, however, no arrests have been recorded. In an unconfirmed area captured on film, several Muslim males could be observed chanting “Allahu Akbar,” whilst riot officers monitored from afar.
During his speech to the nation on Thursday, Prime Minister of Britain Keir Starmer placed a significant emphasis on addressing the response to Monday’s stabbings over detailing specifics about said event. The PM spoke out against “far-right hatred,” which he identified as driving force behind recent riots and pledged support for granting increased powers to law enforcement in order curb similar unrest going forward.
On Saturday, Yvette Cooper – the Home Secretary – cautioned that they had equipped extra prosecutors and prison facilities for those who would face consequences if involved in any form of “criminal violence or disorder.”
