- More violence is feared following misinformation about killings.
- More police, intelligence services and prosecutors were deployed.
- A 17-year-old boy is accused of murdering three girls.
LONDON: Protesters attacked police and set fires in the north-east English city of Sunderland on Friday, as violence spread to another northern city following the murder of three children in Southport on Monday.
Anti-immigrant protesters threw stones at riot police near a mosque in the city before overturning vehicles, setting a car on fire and starting a fire next to a police office. BBC saying.
Northumbria Police Chief Superintendent Helena Barron said in a statement: “The safety of the public is our top priority and when we became aware that a protest had been planned we ensured there was an increased police presence in the town.”
“Over the course of the night, those officers were met with serious and sustained levels of violence, which is absolutely deplorable.”
Three police officers were taken to hospital for treatment and eight people have so far been arrested for offences including violent disorder and robbery, Barron added.
The demonstration in Sunderland was one of more than a dozen planned by anti-immigration protesters across the UK this weekend, including near at least two mosques in Liverpool, the nearest city to where the children were killed.
Several counter-protests against racism were also planned.
British police were out in force across the country on Friday and mosques were stepping up security, officials said.
A 17-year-old boy has been charged with murdering the girls in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop in the north-west coastal town of Southport, a crime that has shocked the nation.
Violent incidents erupted in Southport, the north-eastern town of Hartlepool and London in the following days in response to false information on social media claiming the stabbing suspect was a Muslim migrant.
In an attempt to dispel misinformation, police have stressed that the suspect, Axel Rudakubana, was born in Britain.
Swift Justice
Earlier on Friday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer made a second visit to Southport since the killings.
“As a nation, we stand with those who have tragically lost loved ones in the horrific attack in Southport, which has torn apart the very fabric of this community and left us all in shock,” he said in a statement.
British police chiefs have agreed to deploy officers in large numbers over the weekend to deter violence.
“We will have additional capability in our intelligence, in our information and in the resources that are in local communities,” said Gavin Stephens, chairman of the National Police Chiefs' Council. BBC Radio.
“There will be additional prosecutors available to make quick decisions, so we can see swift justice.”
Mosques across the country are also on high alert, the Muslim Council of Britain said.
Zara Mohammed, secretary general of the council, said representatives of hundreds of mosques agreed to step up security measures at a briefing on Thursday. Many of those attending the meeting also expressed concern for the safety of their worshippers after receiving threatening and abusive phone calls.
“I think there's a feeling within the community that we're not going to be afraid either, but we're going to be careful and cautious,” Mohammed said.
Police in Southport — where protesters attacked police, set vehicles on fire and threw bricks at a mosque on Tuesday night — said they were aware of the planned protests and had “extensive plans and considerable police resources” on hand to deal with any disorder.
Northern Ireland police also said they were planning a “proportionate policing response” after learning of plans by several groups to block roads, stage protests and march to an Islamic centre in Belfast over the weekend.
