U.K. stabbings: Violent protesters attack police as town mourns 3 dead girls

A group of convulsive protesters, believed to beryllium supporters of nan far-right English Defence League, threw bricks astatine a section mosque and fought pinch constabulary officers adjacent nan tract of a horrific stabbing that claimed nan lives of 3 young girls.

Hundreds of protesters threw bottles and garbage cans and group constabulary vehicles and residents’ cars ablaze, Merseyside constabulary said, leaving down a segment of chaos where, earlier that day, mourners had laid flowers and stuffed animals successful tribute to nan victims of nan tragic Southport stabbing attack.

Merseyside Police said that 49 of its officers were injured successful nan disturbance, pinch 8 sustaining superior injuries including fractures, lacerations and a suspected concussion. Four different officers pinch Lancashire Police were besides injured.

“It is sickening to spot this happening wrong a organization that has been devastated by nan tragic nonaccomplishment of 3 young lives,” Assistant Chief Const. Alex Goss said.

The names of nan 3 girls who died successful Monday’s stabbing onslaught were released by constabulary Tuesday evening. They are six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar.

Eight different children and 2 adults were injured successful nan attack, 7 of whom stay successful captious condition.

The victims had been participating successful a Taylor Swift-themed creation and yoga class astatine a workplace successful Southport erstwhile an equipped fishy entered and started stabbing people. A 17-year-old boy was apprehended by constabulary soon aft nan onslaught and is being questioned.

The 17-year-old fishy was calved successful Cardiff, Wales, but that hasn’t stopped conspiracy theories from circulating online that he is simply a migrant aliases asylum seeker.

“There has been overmuch speculation and presumption astir nan position of a 17-year-old antheral who is presently successful constabulary custody and immoderate individuals are utilizing this to bring unit and upset to our streets,” Goss said. “We person already said that nan personification arrested was calved successful nan U.K. and speculation helps cipher astatine this time.”

The protests

Merseyside Police said nan protestation began astir 7:45 p.m. section time, erstwhile a “large group of group – believed to beryllium supporters of nan English Defence League – began to propulsion items towards a section mosque connected St Luke’s Road successful Southport.”

The English Defence League is simply a far-right, single-issue group opposed to Islam. The group mostly operates connected societal media, but is known for nan galore thoroughfare demonstrations it organized successful nan early 2010s protesting what it saw arsenic Islamic extremism and rising Islamic power successful nan U.K.

There has been nary denotation from authorities that nan 17-year-old fishy has immoderate belief affiliation, but online misinformation has dispersed that he is Muslim.

Officers extracurricular nan Southport Mosque successful riot cogwheel were pelted pinch bricks torn from plot walls successful nan residential neighbourhood by members of nan crowd, immoderate of whom wore masks, amid chants of “No surrender!” and “English till I die!” Firecrackers exploded, sirens wailed and a chopper hovering overhead added to nan chaos.

Police said hundreds of group were progressive successful nan convulsive protest, which culminated successful galore vehicles being group ablaze “at random.” The protesters besides damaged cars parked successful nan mosque’s parking batch and smashed up a section convenience store.

Three constabulary dogs were injured successful nan protestation aft having bricks thrown astatine them.

“This is nary measurement to dainty a community, slightest of each a organization that is still reeling from nan events of Monday,” Goss said.

Police are appealing to nan nationalist for accusation and footage of Tuesday night’s protest, which raged passim nan evening earlier yet dispersing astir midnight.

After nan chaos, residents came retired to thief cleanable up nan thoroughfare and nan section Sefton Council is helping to repair nan damage.

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“The wanton unit and demolition we saw is nan very past point nan group of Southport request having been rocked by nan atrocious events of Monday. The disrespect toward grieving families and nan organization is despicable, and I want to reassure residents successful Southport that we will person a importantly accrued constabulary beingness successful nan municipality successful nan coming days,” Assistant Chief Const. Jenny Sims said.

“I want to make this perfectly clear: anyone who intends to origin early harm and harm to our communities will beryllium dealt pinch robustly, utilizing each our disposable powers.”

Four men person been arrested truthful acold for convulsive upset and different charges.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned nan “thuggery” and said nan crowd had hijacked what had earlier been a serene vigil attended by hundreds successful nan centre of Southport to mourn nan dormant and 10 surviving stabbing victims.

Victims named

A short region from Tuesday’s protestation is nan creation workplace wherever 3 girls were fatally stabbed connected Monday.

“What should person been a joyful commencement to nan summertime turned into an unspeakable tragedy,” Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said. “It’s difficult to comprehend aliases put into words nan scary of what happened.”

Bebe King, 6, was among nan girls who died. Her family released a connection done constabulary saying: “No words tin picture nan devastation that has deed our family arsenic effort to woody pinch nan nonaccomplishment of our small woman Bebe.”

Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, died from her injuries successful nan infirmary a time aft nan attack. Her family writes: “Keep smiling and dancing for illustration you emotion to do our Princess, for illustration we said earlier to you, you’re ever our princess and nary 1 would alteration that. Love from Your Hero Daddy and Mummy.”

Swift wrote successful an Instagram story Tuesday that she was “completely successful shock” astatine nan “horror of yesterday’s attack.”

“These were conscionable small kids astatine a creation class. I americium astatine a complete nonaccomplishment for really to ever convey my sympathies to these families,” she wrote.

— With files from The Associated Press