Sky: riots break out in Southport, England, after knife attack on children
Kyiv • UNN
Riots broke out in Southport after an attack on children that left three dead. Protesters clashed with police near a mosque, setting fire to a police van and attacking law enforcement officers.
Mass riots took place in the English city of Southport, where an unknown person attacked children during a dance lesson on Monday, killing three of them and seriously injuring several others. According to Sky News, clashes with police occurred near the city's mosque, UNN reports .
Details
According to the TV channel, the protesters set fire to a police van and attacked law enforcement officers. The demonstrators pulled out cobblestones to throw them at the police. Bottles and firecrackers were also thrown at law enforcement officials. Several police officers were injured, one of them had his nose broken. Videos on social media showed protesters, many of whom had their faces covered by hoods, insulting and pushing the police.
According to The Daily Telegraph, law enforcement officials later cleared the space in front of the mosque.
According to Merseyside police, the riots were staged by supporters of the far-right organization English Defence League, which has repeatedly spoken out against the “Islamization of Britain” in the past. According to various estimates, they gathered about 200 people. The Southport mosque was apparently chosen as a gathering place after unverified information about the attacker's religion spread on social media.
Earlier, British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper warned that the tragedy in Southport should not be used to incite hatred and spread disinformation.
The clashes with police came as hundreds of people gathered in the city center near the site of the massacre to remember the victims of the tragedy. People brought flowers, balloons and soft toys. Many came with children. Earlier, Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited the site of the attack.
About the attack
A 17-year-old teenager from Cardiff carried out a massacre during a group yoga and dance class with American pop singer Taylor Swift on Monday. He has been detained and is being questioned, but authorities have not released his name or other details.
According to The Times, a friend of the suspect's parents said that he came from a family that fled the Rwandan genocide and found refuge in the UK. The alleged attacker himself was born in Britain
The victims of his attack were three girls aged six, seven and nine. On Tuesday, it was reported that five children were in critical condition. Later, the Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool, where the victims were taken, reported that two children remained in stable critical condition in intensive care.
