In the U.K., unrest is growing following the deadly stabbing of three girls last week in the northwestern town of Southport. At least eight other children and two adults were injured in the attack on a children’s dance class, many of them still in critical condition. The attack stoked violent far-right protests across Britain after early misinformation identified the suspect as an immigrant living in the U.K. without documentation. The 17-year-old suspect was in fact born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents.
Over the weekend, rioters raided and set fire to hotels used to shelter asylum seekers in northern England. Violent protests also led to some 150 arrests, with incidents reported in Hull, Liverpool, Bristol and Belfast, among others. Anti-fascist protesters have also gathered to counter the white nationalists. On Sunday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the “far-right thuggery.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer: “People in this country have a right to be safe. And yet, we’ve seen Muslim communities targeted, attacks on mosques, other minority communities singled out, Nazi salutes in the street, attacks on the police, wanton violence alongside racist rhetoric. So, no, I won’t shy away from calling it what it is: far-right thuggery.”