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Far-right rioters have been told they will face the full force of the law as police brace for a weekend of violence, with 35 protests planned in the wake of the killing of three children in Southport.
In a warning to organisers, Home Office minister Lord Hanson vowed “we will be watching you” to prevent the “summer madness” from spreading following a string of violent clashes, as police chiefs said they will not tolerate far-right thugs exploiting the nation’s grief.
Dozens of demonstrations planned across the country have stoked fears of widespread unrest amid rising far-right anger over Monday’s atrocity, which saw three girls aged nine, seven and six fatally stabbed and eight more wounded at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.
One protest on Friday night in Sunderland saw beer barrels thrown at police and a fire started as hundreds of protesters, some in balaclavas or England flags, took to the streets.
Sir Keir Starmer returned to Southport for a second visit on Friday, meeting community and police leaders to unveil a support package for the seaside resort town in the wake of the murders of three young girls and subsequent far-right riots.
He went on to visit Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool where many of the victims were treated.
The prime minister praised the resilience of the community in Southport which has seen acts of bravery and kindness in the wake of the violence.
He said: “As a nation, we stand with those who tragically have lost loved ones in the heinous attack in Southport, which ripped through the very fabric of this community and left us all in shock.
“It is truly inspiring to hear of all the ways in which people have come together in the face of such horrors to demonstrate true bravery, resilience and solidarity.
“I cannot begin to imagine the pain that people are going through right now, but I am determined to make sure that Southport and its leaders have all the support they need to preserve and nurture this strength of community spirit – not just in the immediate aftermath but also in the years to come.”
The support package involves government and local partners working together to coordinate a multi-agency support offer for bereaved families and all those affected across Southport.
They will also seek to bolster community cohesion and build local resilience, including by setting up a programme of local community events and activities to help bring people together and create long-lasting support networks.
Liverpool mayor Steve Rotheram said: “It will not happen overnight but we are determined to restore trust, build on that remarkable resilience and, above all, ensure that Bebe [King], Elsie [Dot Stancombe] and Alice [Dasilva Aguiar], and the victims and those traumatised, are never forgotten.”
The package will also help support local leaders’ efforts to honour the memory of those killed or injured, working with schools and others affected to commemorate them in line with the local community’s wishes.
With fears over the continued threat of far-right groups, a judge on Thursday named the stabbing suspect as Cardiff-born Axel Rudakubana, 17, to quell online misinformation about his identity from fuelling protests which erupted after the attack.
But it seems to have done little to halt the fringe groups from mobilising, with many events promoting anti-immigration and messaging such as “enough is enough”, “save our kids” or “stop the boats”.
Mosques across the country have ramped up security as they speak of “palpable fear” over the protests after more than 50 officers were injured in clashes with far-right thugs outside a mosque in Southport on Tuesday.
More than 100 people were arrested after flares were fired at Downing Street during similar disorder in the capital on Wednesday.
Violent clashes in Hartlepool saw a dozen arrests, including an 11-year-old held on suspicion of arson after a police car was set alight, with unrest also seen outside asylum seeker accommodation in Manchester and Aldershot.
Home secretary Yvette Cooper vowed to “make sure criminals pay the price” for any violence as the government rallied behind police ahead of the widespread potential unrest.
She will be regularly briefed over the weekend and an extra 70 prosecutors will be on hand to quickly charge those who set out to cause violent disorder or wreak havoc in communities.
Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, chair of the National Police Chiefs Council, said forces will not stand by and let criminals carry out unnecessary violence.
Promising a “robust and united” response, he said: “Our message to anyone thinking of getting involved in this type of criminality is clear – if you cause violence, you will face the full force of the law and we have the full backing of our criminal justice partners.”
His comments come after the prime minister announced a new programme to tackle violent disorder as he condemned this week’s events as an “assault on the rule of law”.
In a message to protest organisers, Home Office minister Lord Hanson said: “If you are organising this now, we will be watching you.”
He said forces have the powers under intelligence-led policing to track people who may be travelling to cause trouble and to use facial recognition technology to bring prosecutions.
Asked whether those involved are from the far-right, he told LBC: “Some individuals will have far-right opinions, in my view, some might be caught up in the summer madness. Some might be people who’ve got genuine concerns.”
Lord Walney, the government’s adviser on political violence and disruption, claimed there was a “concerted and coordinated” attempt to spread the violence.
“Clearly, some of those far-right actors have got a taste for this and are trying to provoke similar in towns and cities across the UK,” he said.
In Manchester, three separate events are threatening to cause disruption, with events also planned in other key cities including Liverpool, Belfast, Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff and Nottingham.
Activists at Stand Up to Racism have said that ethnic minorities are “all bracing for a weekend of far-right activity”, with up to nine counterprotests so far organised by anti-racism groups.
Joe Mulhall, director of research at anti-fascist campaign group Hope Not Hate, said he was “deeply concerned” events may erupt into disorder.
“Whilst there is no single organiser fronting these protests, all of them are under a broad anti-multiculturalism, anti-Muslim and anti-government banner,” he added.
Brian Booth, acting deputy national chair at the Police Federation, issued a plea to members of the public not to join protests.
“I think one of the key messages is a plea to the public just to think before you go to these protests,” he told The Independent, warning that they could find themselves “caught in the middle” between far-right mobs and police lines.
“Please exhaust your normal democratic lines of complaint. Speak to your police and crime commissioner and your MP but don’t take to the streets and join these individuals.
“I understand the right to protest but unfortunately, the lawful right to protest has been hijacked by this undercurrent of violence by people who are intent on causing trouble.
“Unfortunately, the misuse of social media has taken some members of the public along with them.”
