In Southport, a large police force was on standby that evening to prevent further riots. The situation was tense but calm. There were also clashes in the north-eastern English town of Hartlepool.
The ultranationalists accuse the authorities of lying about the origins of the suspected knife attacker. He is said to have killed three girls aged six, seven and nine and seriously injured eight others and two adults in the north-west English coastal town on Monday. False news on the Internet had fuelled the rumour that he was a Muslim asylum seeker who had entered the country irregularly.
The police clearly rejected the information, which was also reported by a Russian state media outlet. According to the police, the 17-year-old suspect was born in Great Britain. According to BBC information, his parents are from Rwanda. The police assume that the attack was carried out by a lone perpetrator. It was not a terrorist act. The motive is still unclear. The investigators were given more time to question the suspect.
Scuffle with the police
TV images from London showed scuffles between right-wing extremists and the police in the government district. According to media reports, rioters threw bottles and cans, as well as fireworks, at the fence of Downing Street. The protest was held under the slogan “Enough is enough”. Participants shouted “Rule Britannia” and “Save our children”. They chanted calls for the entry of irregular migrants to be stopped.
The previous evening, around 200 to 300 people had rioted in Southport after a peaceful vigil. They attacked a mosque and then threw bricks, rubbish bins and street signs at police officers. 53 officers were injured, 8 of them seriously. They suffered broken bones, a concussion and lacerations. One officer was knocked unconscious. Three police dogs were also injured. Several police cars burned out.
According to authorities, the rioters were mainly right-wing extremists. So far, four people have been arrested. “However, there will be more to come,” said Chief Constable Serena Kennedy of Merseyside Police.
Southport cleans up
Many residents in Southport took part in the clean-up. Local businessman Norman Wallis told the PA news agency that the rioters were not from the area, but had travelled by bus and car to cause trouble. “The people of Southport are cleaning up this mess today,” said Wallis.
Critics accused right-wing populist MP Nigel Farage, who once played a key role in pushing for Brexit, of inflaming the mood. The head of the Reform UK party had speculated in a video uploaded to X that the authorities were “withholding the truth from us”.
MP: Rioters travelled there especially
In Southport, the rioters reportedly set cars and garbage cans on fire. Local MP Patrick Hurley told BBC Radio 4 that the right-wing extremists had exploited the massacre for their political ends and attacked “the same first responders and the same police officers” who had stopped the perpetrator on Monday. The chairman of the mosque, Ibrahim Hussein, told reporters that he was trapped in the building with eight congregants and only escaped thanks to a police escort.
The British government strongly condemned the riots. The new Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced that rioters would face the full force of the law.
“Those who hijacked the vigil for the victims with violence and brutality have insulted the grieving community,” the head of government said at X. Starmer laid flowers near the crime scene. The prime minister, who has only been in office for a few weeks, was harassed by onlookers who demanded tougher action against migrants.
