British police are deploying more officers to the streets amid warnings of further violent disturbances this weekend, with mosques tightening security after anti-immigration protesters set vehicles on fire following the deaths of three girls. Riots broke out last week after false information spread rapidly online suggesting that the suspect in the murders in Southport, northwest England, was an extremist Muslim immigrant. Police say the suspect, Axel Rodakubana, is 17 years old and was born in Cardiff, Wales.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer blamed the "far-right" for the violence and met with police leaders, endorsing more stringent measures from the forces, marking his first major test since being elected Prime Minister a month ago. Starmer visited Southport twice since the attack, meeting with community leaders and thanking emergency services. The last time Britain witnessed large-scale violence was in 2011 when thousands took to the streets for six nights following the police shooting of a Black man in London.
On Friday evening, several hundred anti-immigration protesters gathered in Sunderland, northeast England, throwing stones at riot police near a mosque before overturning vehicles and setting a car on fire, igniting another fire next to a police station. Northumbria Police, which oversees Sunderland, reported that four officers were hospitalized and announced the arrest of ten individuals on charges including causing violent disturbances and robbery.
