SOUTH PORT: British police were deployed on Wednesday to prevent a repeat of a night of violence that left dozens of officers injured after a mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance party that killed three children.
While no incidents were reported in Southport, northwest England, a tense demonstration took place in London near Downing Street in the evening over the government’s response to Monday’s knife rampage.
Bottles were thrown at police and several people were arrested at the rally, which saw many protesters with British flags over their shoulders.
Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy earlier said her force was “absolutely planning” for further possible unrest in Southport after a deadly attack targeting children sparked clashes on Tuesday evening.
Supporters of the far-right English Defense League (EDL) are suspected of having traveled from abroad to the seaside town near Liverpool to stage several hours of serious violent disorder.
The 100-strong group attacked police and property, threw bricks at the mosque and set fire to vehicles and other objects.
Police said 53 officers were injured, at least eight of them seriously, and that they arrested four suspects.
The scenes of violence were widely condemned, with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer promising that those responsible would “face the full force of the law”.
During Wednesday’s visit, Kennedy said her officers were “well prepared” and had “adequate resources.”
But she added: “The people who turned up last night were reinforced very quickly and it escalated very quickly.”
She admitted communities in Southport were “really worried” about further unrest and added that additional regional forces would continue to support Merseyside Police.
This would ensure “we don’t see a repeat of last night”, she added.
Officers have been given new temporary powers to disperse crowds that try to gather in the area.
The violence erupted shortly after a vigil was held in the city center where hundreds of people fell silent to honor the victims of the stabbing attack, which also critically injured five children and two adults.
Police said they are not treating it as terrorism-related.
Few details have emerged about the suspected attacker, other than that he is 17 years old and was born in the Welsh capital of Cardiff. His parents were from Rwanda, according to the BBC.
The police were given more time to question him. He cannot be named because of his age.
A few hours after the attack, unverified information about the suspect’s background began to spread on social networks.
Far-right influencer Andrew Tate posted a video on social media that has been viewed by nearly 15 million people, accusing an “illegal migrant” of stabbing him.
The Muslim Council of Britain said the Islamophobic backlash began with a false online rumor fueled by disinformation from a Russian news website that wrongly linked the crime to Muslims.
“At a time of great tragedy, loss and grief, we must stand firm against the cynical forces of hatred and division,” said MCB General Secretary Zara Mohammed.
Merseyside Police Deputy Chief Constable Alex Goss said there was “a lot of speculation and hypothesis” about the suspect, while “a lot of people who don’t live” in the local area were involved in the violence on Tuesday night.
“What did we do to deserve this? We’ve already lost our children,” 53-year-old Suzanne Jerram, owner of a shop that was vandalized, told AFP.
“Our community is mourning, how dare he come here to our city and do this? It’s disgusting, it really is disgusting.”
Shadow Home Secretary James Cleverly called on the government to respond “hard and fast” to the unrest and online misinformation.
Meanwhile, Deputy First Minister Angela Rayner suggested the government may “consider” whether to ban the EDL under anti-terrorism laws.
The young victims of Monday’s attack were named the following day.
Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, died early Tuesday at a hospital, police said, after Bebe King, 6, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, died Monday.
Aguiar was the daughter of Portuguese parents from Madeira. Her family paid tribute: “Keep smiling and dancing like you love to do our princess.”
Police said the two injured adults were trying to protect the children. Tributes have been paid to the bravery of dance and yoga teacher Leanne Lucas, who was one of the injured.
US pop star Swift said she was “absolutely shocked” by the “loss of life and innocence and the terrible trauma caused to everyone”.
