Riots broke out late Friday in Sunderland, where British police officers were subjected to “serious violence” according to police, the latest clashes following the murder of three young girls earlier this week.
Footage circulating on social media shows hundreds of people rampaging through Sunderland city centre in north-east England, attacking police and setting fire to at least one car.
These events rekindle concerns about a return to the violence that has marred the country this week, after Thursday evening had been calm.
“Our officers continue to deal with ongoing clashes and have been subjected to serious violence,” Northumbria Police said. “The scenes we are seeing are completely unacceptable,” it added.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper promised on X that the rioters “will pay the price for their violence and thuggish behaviour”. “The police have the full support of the government to act in the strongest possible way and ensure the full force of the law is brought to bear,” she added, assuring that the rioters “do not represent Britain”.
The region’s mayor, Kim McGuinness, said she was “appalled”. “If your response to tragedy is to use it to commit violence, to harm others, to attack police and damage property, you represent nothing but vandalism,” she said on X, echoing what Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Thursday.
The new outbreak of violence comes as police prepare for a tense weekend.
In London in particular, the Metropolitan Police indicated that it had “increased” its numbers “to reassure” the population, while a pro-Palestinian march is planned in the capital as well as an anti-immigration rally.
Merseyside police, some 50 of whom were injured in clashes on Tuesday in Southport, the town in the northwest of England which was in mourning following a knife attack the day before, also said they were ready to deal with possible new clashes, and deployed new personnel in Liverpool city centre.
Between 200 and 300 people – supporters of the far-right anti-Islam English Defence League (EDL) movement according to police – took part in clashes on Tuesday, amid rumours and speculation shared online about the religion, identity or origin of the perpetrator of the attacks.
A 17-year-old suspect, Axel Rudakubana, has been charged with murder and attempted murder and taken into custody.
Police forces are anticipating demonstrations in several cities, including Nottingham, Rotherham, Cardiff (Wales), and Belfast (Northern Ireland).
The clashes in Southport, where a mosque was targeted, have prompted officials at Muslim places of worship to step up security.
Anti-immigration slogans
In the capital, the Metropolitan Police met with Muslim community leaders and visited several mosques “to provide advice” [de sécurité] and listen to fears,” she said in a statement.
A pro-Palestinian march is planned, as well as a rally near the march route by the movement dubbed “Enough is Enough,” an anti-immigration slogan that has emerged on social media.
“The Met will not tolerate individuals who use the right to protest as a means to commit acts of violence or to incite racial or religious hatred towards the public or the police,” she warned.
On Wednesday, several hundred people, waving British flags and shouting anti-immigration slogans, demonstrated in a tense atmosphere in front of Downing Street, leading to 111 arrests.
“The Muslim community is deeply concerned” after the events in Southport, particularly with “these rallies planned across the UK and specifically targeting mosques,” Zara Mohammed, general secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain, told AFP. She also described mosque leaders as “anxious” at a meeting on Thursday on the security of places of worship.
On Thursday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer showed his firmness and support for the police after the increase in gatherings marred by violence, “clearly” fueled by “far-right hatred”.