At least eight people have been arrested for committing offences, including violent disorder and burglary, after several protesters attacked police and set a police station on fire in Sunderland city in the UK, days after similar violence was witnessed in Southport following the killing of three children.
According to reports, far-right anti-immigrant protesters threw stones at police officers in riot gear outside a mosque and set a car on fire during their demonstration.
An old police station was set on fire by protesters. Northumbria Police said three policemen were taken to hospital for treatment.
In a statement, the police said: “We can confirm that three officers were taken to hospital for treatment of injuries.” One of them has been released from hospital, police said.
“Anyone involved in the disorder we have seen can expect to be dealt with robustly – and that action has already begun. Eight people have so far been arrested for a range of offences, including violent disorder and burglary,” the statement said.
Police said an investigation into the incident is currently underway.
Some members of the crowd could be heard shouting Islamophobic slurs and chanting in support of far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon — who uses the alias Tommy Robinson, reported BBC.
Yaxley-Lennon’s X account has reportedly promoted false claims that the alleged Southport attacker had been an asylum seeker who recently arrived in the UK by boat, the British media reported.
UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said criminals attacking the police and stoking disorder on our streets will pay the price for their violence and thuggery.
“The police have the full backing of Government to take the strongest possible action & ensure they face the full force of the law,” she wrote on X.
The Sunderland protests were among the series of demonstrations planned to be held across the UK over the weekend following the knife attack on Monday.
Sunderland Central MP Lewis Atkinson said he was ‘appalled’ by the disorder which hit the city.
“Our city is not represented by a tiny minority causing trouble. @northumbriapol have my full support as they respond to criminal thuggery and work to protect all the communities of our city,” he posted on X.
More than 100 anti-immigration protesters were arrested in central London on Wednesday, July 31, evening as protests following the Southport knife attack spread to different parts of the country, reports said.
According to reports, Wednesday’s disorder followed unrest near a mosque in Southport on Tuesday (July 30) night, during which the building was attacked. Merseyside Police officers were also pelted with bricks and a police van was set on fire.
The protests broke out after three children — Alice Dasilva Aguiar (9), Bebe King (6) and Elsie Dot Stancombe (7) — were fatally stabbed on Monday (July 29) while attending a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club in Southport, reports said.
As per media reports, eight other children suffered knife injuries — with five of them in a critical condition — while two adults were also critically hurt.
A 17-year-old boy was charged with three counts of murder and ten counts of attempted murder by Merseyside Police.
