Merseyside Police – the region in North West England that includes Southport – confirmed during Tuesday evening that they were dealing with an ongoing riot outside a local mosque.
“Police on site deal with criminal behavior and violence with people throwing bottles and trash cans at them,” the statement reads.
“A police officer has had his nose broken and police vehicles have been damaged and set on fire.”
“Creating Chaos”
The police state that the people gathered around the mosque are believed to belong to the far-right English Defense League.
Police Assistant Alex Goss says the following:
– There has been much speculation about the status of the 17-year-old boy who is in custody, and some individuals have taken advantage of that to use violence and create chaos on our streets.
– We have already said that the person arrested was born in the UK and further speculation is not helping anyone right now.