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Far-right protesters took to the streets of Sunderland in England’s north-east on Friday night as police across the UK prepared for a weekend of disturbances with protests, triggered by the murder of three girls on Monday, expected in dozens of towns and cities.
A Home Office minister warned of the “potential” for further violence and told agitators that the authorities “will be watching” them.
In Sunderland protesters set fire to a building next to a police station, overturned vehicles and hurled projectiles at riot police in widespread scenes of violence and disorder. Earlier, police prevented dozens of rioters from attacking a mosque.
Northumberland police advised members of the public to avoid the city centre and said “officers had been subjected to serious violence”.
“The scenes that we are seeing are completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” the force said on social media site X.
However, in Liverpool dozens of residents, including an old lady carrying a placard that read “nans against nazis,” gathered to help protect a mosque from a small group of far right thugs. Police kept the crowds apart.
Across the UK police are expecting protests in dozens of towns and cities.
Rallies are planned in more than 30 locations in England and Wales between Friday and Sunday, according to social media posts monitored by anti-extremism campaign group Hope not Hate.
This follows several nights of violence sparked by a mass stabbing in Southport on Monday, in which three girls were killed and eight other children and two adults were injured.
Mayor of the North-East Kim McGuinness wrote on X: “I’m appalled by scenes from Sunderland. Make no mistake, if your response to tragedy is to use it to commit violence, to abuse others, attack the Police and damage property you stand for nothing except thuggery. It’s not protest. It’s crime and disorder.”
Home Office minister Lord David Hanson on Friday sought to deter people from participating in any further violent unrest, warning they must “be prepared to face the full force of the law on this criminal activity”.
Scores of arrests have been made across England this week after violence broke out at protests — including more than 100 people being taken by police during a rally outside Downing Street.
Calls for a hardline policing approach arose from other quarters. The government’s adviser on tacking political violence, John Woodcock, known formally as Lord Walney, said forces “should be stopping people gathering” when such rallies were “fanning the flames of violence”.
“People absolutely have the right to protest in this country, but they do not have the right to riot,” Woodcock told the BBC.
Late on Friday, Sir Keir Starmer met local government, police and faith leaders in Southport. The prime minister confirmed a support package to aid bereaved families and community cohesion, including improved access to mental health and psychological services.
The move followed the creation of a nationwide policing unit to tackle violent disorder, which will deploy measures previously used to crack down on football hooligans.
The prime minister criticised activists “driven by far-right hatred” and “thugs” who “move from community to community” to take part in criminal unrest.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage claimed the activity of the far right was a “reaction to fear, to discomfort, to unease” shared by “tens of millions of people” about immigration. The newly elected MP said he condemned violence and “thuggery”, but suggested widespread concerns about “societal decline”.
Farage was accused of lending “legitimacy” to violent protesters and “excusing” their actions by Steve Rotheram, Labour mayor of Liverpool city region. Former head of counterterrorism policing Neil Basu also urged Farage to “think very carefully” about “the power of his words”.
The demonstrations this week have involved protesters bearing anti-immigration messages, including “Enough is enough” and “Stop the boats”.
Ahead of the weekend, many demonstrators appear to be focusing their attention on hotels claimed, in some cases inaccurately, to be housing asylum seekers.
Police in Greater Manchester are preparing for such protests on Friday evening, including outside two Ibis hotels not used for asylum.
In Manchester, which experienced similar disorder outside a Holiday Inn in the north of the city on Wednesday night, a further gathering is planned for the city centre on Saturday.
That protest is expected to attract a counterdemonstration and to coincide with two unrelated rallies on the Gaza conflict and transgender issues, further complicating policing operations.
Ahead of this weekend, plans are also being circulated on social media for demonstrations in London, Liverpool, Leeds, Middlesbrough and a number of other northern towns and cities.
London’s Metropolitan police said it had plans in place in advance of demonstrations this weekend, including meeting with leaders from the Muslim community and visiting local mosques.
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