Sunday was expected to bring a new wave of clashes, with protests and counterprotests scheduled to take place in Lancaster, Yorkshire and elsewhere.<\/p>\n
The police in Bolton, south of Manchester, issued a dispersal order<\/a>\u00a0for that city, and large groups of\u00a0demonstrators gathered<\/a>\u00a0on Sunday afternoon in Middlesbrough, where two men\u00a0were arrested<\/a>, accused of setting fire to police vehicles overnight.<\/p>\n The\u00a0riots on Saturday<\/a> have prompted a heavy police response in cities across Britain. The National Police Chiefs\u2019 Council, which represents law enforcement, has said that nearly 4,000 additional officers have been deployed to deter the violence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThe police have our full backing,\u201d\u00a0Yvette Cooper<\/a>, the British home secretary, said on Saturday. \u201cI want everyone to be clear. Anyone who gets involved in criminal disorder, violent thuggery on our streets will have to pay the price.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The crisis has emerged as the first test for Prime Minister Keir Starmer\u2019s fledgling Labour government, which scrambled on Sunday to tamp down reports that Mr. Starmer was set to go on vacation this week.<\/p>\n His office said he was not scheduled to be out of town and would remain at 10 Downing Street to manage the fallout.<\/p>\n Tension has gripped some communities after a stabbing rampage\u00a0killed three<\/a>\u00a0young girls and wounded many others at a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga class last Monday in the town of Southport, near Liverpool. A 17-year-old suspect\u00a0was later named<\/a>.<\/p>\n Disinformation about the attacker\u2019s identity\u00a0spread quickly online<\/a>, falsely identifying him as a migrant and fueling a violent, far-right riot in which a mosque was attacked and dozens of police officers were hurt in Southport on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Unrest has since spread to other parts of Britain, with violent protests in Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham and other cities over the weekend. A protest was also held in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and also turned violent.<\/p>\n \u201cThis week we have seen appalling behavior that in no way shows compassion or respect for the little girls who were killed and injured,\u201d Chief Constable BJ Harrington\u00a0said on Saturday<\/a>, adding, \u201cIt shows no respect for our communities, and it will be stopped.\u201d<\/p>\n ALSO READ:\u00a0Nationwide hunger protests escalate in Nigeria amidst government crackdown<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n In Liverpool, more than 300 people were involved in what the police called a\u00a0\u201cviolent disorder\u201d<\/a>\u00a0on Saturday night, when businesses were looted and rioters hurled bricks and other projectiles at police officers.<\/p>\n Two police officers were taken to the hospital, one with a \u201csuspected broken nose\u201d and another with a likely broken jaw. By Sunday morning, at least 11 people had been arrested, the police said.<\/p>\n Far-right protesters and counterprotesters also\u00a0clashed in Manchester<\/a>, where\u00a0the police issued a dispersal order<\/a>\u00a0for all demonstrations in parts of the city center.<\/p>\n At the same time,\u00a0at least 10 people were arrested<\/a>\u00a0in unrest on Saturday south of Manchester in Stoke-on-Trent, where the police were beginning to scale back early Sunday.<\/p>\n Fights also broke out in Leeds, where the police said\u00a0they had made a \u201chandful\u201d of arrests<\/a>. In Nottingham, where multiple demonstrations took place on Saturday, 15 people were arrested in what the police described as a\u00a0\u201clargely peaceful\u201d<\/a> day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cAnyone who comes into the city or our neighborhoods over the coming days to cause any kind of disorder can expect a robust response,\u201d said Steve Cooper, the deputy chief constable for Nottinghamshire.<\/p>\n The New York Times<\/a> report said the wave of protests and unrest has been driven by fast-spreading online misinformation, much of it promulgated by far-right voices on the social media platform X and the Telegram messaging app.<\/p>\n They include\u00a0neo-Nazis, violent soccer fans, anti-Muslim factions, and social media influencers<\/a>\u00a0who have amplified their messaging to followers.<\/p>\n By Saturday, unrest had also spread to Northern Ireland, where anti-immigration messaging has simmered\u00a0across the island<\/a>\u00a0over the British government\u2019s plan for asylum seekers<\/a>.<\/p>\n In Belfast, clashes broke out between anti-Islam protesters and an antiracist demonstration at City Hall, with fireworks and other missiles being hurled between the two. Several businesses and vehicles\u00a0were reportedly set on fire<\/a>, and an apartment building had to be evacuated, the police said.<\/p>\n Officers prevented anti-immigration protesters from marching to the Belfast Islamic Center on Saturday, the Police Services of Northern Ireland said in a statement.<\/p>\n It said that while only four people were arrested, video footage and \u201cevery tool\u201d would be used to identify those who caused damage.<\/p>\n \u201cThose who engaged in this behavior bring nothing but shame to themselves and Belfast city,\u201d said Davy Beck, the assistant chief constable.<\/p>\n Officials with the Ministry of Justice were\u00a0reportedly in talks<\/a>\u00a0early Sunday that could see Britain\u2019s courts open overnight in order to process the influx of arrests.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A violent protest erupted outside a Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, as anti-immigration rioters clashed with police, breaking windows and vandalized the hotel, which houses asylum seekers. Demonstrators hurled missiles, including glass bottles […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17436,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,2,7],"tags":[3152],"coauthors":[25],"class_list":{"0":"post-17433","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-latest-news","8":"category-top-news","9":"category-world","10":"tag-uk-protests"},"yoast_head":"\n<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>