In the United Kingdom, new riots broke out this Saturday, August 3. Gatherings organized by far-right, anti-immigration movements, and fueled by fake news on social networks, in the wake of the knife attack last Monday in Southport, in the west of the country. Three little girls had been stabbed to death in a day camp in the west of England. Summary of this chaotic Saturday.
2 min
With our correspondent in London, Emeline Vin
Far-right rallies have taken place in a dozen English cities and in Belfast, Northern Ireland. On-site footage shows mostly male protests, with some participants wrapped in British flags, wearing masks or balaclavas.
” Several police officers have been injured while dealing with serious disorder in Liverpool city centre “, Merseyside Police said on X.
” This behavior (…) will not be tolerated. And we will arrest those responsible ” she added. In Liverpool, Stoke on Trent, Hull and Belfast, police have been targeted by projectiles, bricks, rubbish and scooters. Several local councils have issued special orders, including banning drones, to quickly stop the incidents.
In some cities, Leeds, Manchester and Nottingham, anti-racism counter-demonstrations had been organised. The police, usually in the background at rallies, had to intervene in at least three locations to separate the marches which were beginning to clash.
The British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said this Saturday that there was ” no excuse for violence “The head of government, who came to power a month ago, held an emergency telephone meeting with his main ministers on Saturday, and also ” reiterated that the government supports the police to take all necessary actions to keep the streets safe ” said a spokesman. Concern is particularly high among Muslim religious leaders, as a mosque was targeted in Sunderland on Friday, as it was in Southport during previous clashes on Tuesday.
In total, more than thirty calls for demonstrations were launched in the United Kingdom for this weekend, most responding to the anti-immigration slogan ” Enough is enough! ” – Enough is enough! -, widely shared on social networks. Other demonstrations are announced this Sunday, August 4, some described as “pro-British”, with the fear of new excesses. The Prime Minister and the Minister of the Interior have given their support to the police and promised “arrests and prosecutions” for the extremist rioters.
Read alsoUK knife attack: Further violence in Sunderland