More than 90 people were taken into custody on Sunday when far-right protests descended into violent riots in several UK locations, according to the BBC. There was a great deal of unrest in places like Hull, Liverpool, Bristol, Manchester, Stoke-on-Trent, Blackpool, and Belfast. There were also attacks on police officers and shoplifting incidents. Other smaller protests continued to be nonviolent.
The violence comes after the heartbreaking death of three young girls at a dance party in Southport, Merseyside, with a Taylor Swift theme, earlier this week.
Clashes broke out in Liverpool between about a thousand anti-immigration demonstrators and counter-protesters. Bricks, bottles, and a flare were thrown at the police, escalating the violence and injuring several of them, including one who may have broken his nose and another who may have broken his jaw. With a library set on fire and fireworks directed at police, the violence persisted into the early hours of Sunday.
Additionally, police said that they had made several arrests in Bristol, possibly the most left-wing city in the United Kingdom, following a standoff in which the opposition was greatly outnumbered by right-wing demonstrators. Far-right protestors in Bristol relocated from the city centre to a hotel that has been housing asylum seekers.
While demonstrators outside a mosque in Belfast threw objects at media personnel and destroyed a cafe, resulting in two arrests, Manchester saw skirmishes with police and at least two arrests.
Bricks were hurled at police officers in Stoke-on-Trent, central England, and there have also been reports of scuffles in Nottingham, Manchester, and Belfast. Punks attending a festival in Blackpool, a beach town close to Southport, were observed tidying up the aftermath of far-right militants' disturbances.
During a crisis meeting with ministers on Saturday, Keir Starmer, the incoming Labour prime minister of Britain, stated that police have the government's "full support" to take action against "extremists" who are attacking cops and trying to "sow hate," according to his office at No. 10 Downing Street.
Starmer pledged to put a stop to the chaos and attributed the violence to "far-right hatred." The prime minister declared that "far-right hatred" was "clearly driving" the street violence during a press conference on Thursday.
Starmer stressed that although there is protection for the right to free speech, violent unrest is not acceptable. The government has committed to supporting law enforcement's efforts to protect public safety in full.
UK leader Keir Starmer warned far-right protesters they would "regret" participating in England's worst rioting in 13 years, as disturbances linked to the murder of three children earlier this week flared across the country for a fifth day
While fewer protests than Saturday's chaos are anticipated, authorities are nevertheless prepared for more disturbances on Sunday.
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