Protesters clashed with police near Downing Street in London on Wednesday as Britain faced a second night of demonstrations following the deaths of three girls in a frenzied knife attack at a dance class.
Thousands of people gathered near the Prime Minister's residence chanting “save our children”, “we want our country back” and “stop the boats”, as well as singing English football chants.
A large number of helmeted police officers formed a barrier around the protesters, who had previously fired flares and smoke bombs towards Downing Street.
Police were also bracing for more trouble in the English coastal town of Southport, where Monday's stabbings took place. More than 50 officers were injured in violent clashes on Tuesday night.
A 17-year-old boy has been arrested by police on suspicion of murder and attempted murder after a bloody shooting at a “Taylor Swift yoga and dance workshop,” a summer holiday event for children aged 6 to 11, on Monday.
Riots broke out in Southport on Tuesday after false information was spread on social media that the suspect in Monday's stabbings was a radical Islamist migrant.
Police vans were set on fire and protesters threw bricks, bottles and fireworks at officers and cars parked outside the city's mosque.
“Just to reassure the communities of Southport, who I'm sure are really worried about 'are we going to see this again tonight?', we are absolutely making plans for tonight and for next weekend,” Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy told reporters.
As well as killing three girls aged between six and nine, eight other children were stabbed in Monday's attack in this normally quiet town in north-west England. Five of them remain in critical condition in hospital, along with two adults who tried to protect them.
Police are legally restricted in the details they can provide about the suspected teenage attacker but have said the incident was not terrorism-related and that he was born in Britain, dismissing speculation about his origins.
That did not stop the protesters, who police believe were supporters of a right-wing anti-Islam and anti-immigration group, from attacking the mosque and attacking police who tried to stop them.
'Thugs from out of town'
Politicians and police said most of those involved in the violence were not from the area and the clashes marred a large vigil attended by thousands of people to pay tribute to the young victims.
Police said 53 officers were injured, eight of whom were treated in hospital for serious injuries, including fractures and head wounds. Three police dogs were also injured.
The police chief said she was disgusted and appalled by the violence. Four men, aged between 31 and 39, were arrested and police were trying to identify others involved.
“They were there solely to cause vandalism and violence, to bring that level of violence and that behavior to the streets of Southport, and that is not the essence of this community,” he said.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said “violent thugs from out of town” would “feel the full weight of the law”.
On Wednesday, the streets of Southport were littered with bricks from broken walls, smashed bottles, large rubbish bins and their contents. The charred tarmac bore witness to police vehicles set alight in the previous night's clashes.
“What I saw last night was absolutely horrific… It was devastating and in some ways it takes away from what actually happened, which is the tragedy of these deaths,” local resident David Burgess told Sky News.
Meanwhile, Taylor Swift fans have so far raised more than £270,000 ($346,000) to help the families of the victims and the hospital where some of the children were being treated. ($1 = 0.7795 pounds).
