London, Aug 3 (EFE).- British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper warned far-right protesters on Saturday that they would pay for violence on the streets and that the police have the government’s support to take whatever measures are necessary, following the riots in some cities in England.
“Vandalism has no place on the streets” and “we cannot tolerate this type of violence or criminal disorder on our streets,” Cooper said in a televised statement, after protests spread in response to Monday’s knife attack on children at a leisure centre in Southport, north-west England, which left three girls dead.
Tense scenes have erupted in cities including Liverpool, Hull and Nottingham after far-right supporters threw bricks, bottles and chairs at police officers in a coordinated action across England.
“We have been clear with the police that they have our full support in taking the strongest possible action against the perpetrators, including ensuring that there are more prosecutors, sufficient prison places and also that the courts are prepared because anyone who participates in this type of unrest must be clear that they will pay the price,” he added.
The minister also said she had been in contact with MPs across the country but could not say whether the Labour government would recall Parliament, currently in summer recess, to address the violent incidents of recent days.
In Stoke-on-Trent, four people were arrested for rioting and one man was injured after being hit with a sharp object, although the injuries are not believed to be serious, according to police in the town in north-central England.
In Liverpool, northwest England, police said several officers were injured during “serious disorder” in the city centre.
In Hull, four people were arrested and three officers injured during a protest in which a group of people attacked a hotel housing asylum seekers.
Clashes broke out between anti-immigration protesters and counter-protesters in several cities, with police forming lines with riot shields to keep the groups apart.
The violence began in Southport on Tuesday, when protesters attacked police and set fire to a vehicle following the attack at the leisure centre.
Axel Rudakubana, 17, born in Wales to Rwandan parents, is accused of the attack but false claims have been spread on social media that he was an asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK on a small boat across the English Channel between England and France last year.
In Leeds, in northern England, around 200 people marched through the city centre chanting “stop the boats”, referring to the small boats that cross the English Channel, while police in Greater Manchester, in northern England, have also stepped up security in the city centre.
Today’s protests followed a night of violence in Sunderland, north-east England, where a building next to a police station was set on fire.
Hundreds of people gathered in Sunderland’s Keel Square last night, many of them draped in English flags, and chanted in support of Tommy Robinson, founder of the far-right group the English Defence League. EFE
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