Large crowds chanting “English to death” clashed with police outside a mosque in Southport, close to where three girls were murdered in a horrific knife attack on Monday.
Mersyside Police have condemned the “sickening” violence which has erupted amid speculation over the identity of the suspect who was arrested in connection with the savage attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.
The horrific scenes, in which a police van was set alight outside a mosque, came as police issued a warning after an “incorrect” name for the suspected attacker was widely circulated on the internet.
A 17-year-old boy, originally from Cardiff but from the nearby village of Banks, remains in custody charged with murder and attempted murder.
The violence appears to have been fuelled by false claims that the suspect was an asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK by boat, which have been spread on the internet.
Merseyside Police said: “We urge people not to speculate on the details of the incident while the investigation is ongoing.”
The force confirmed that a large group of protesters, believed to be supporters of the English Defence League, began throwing objects towards a local mosque on St Luke’s Road in Southport at around 7.45pm.
One officer suffered a suspected broken nose and several police vehicles were damaged and set on fire.
This comes after the three girls stabbed to death were identified by police today as six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar.
A police van was set on fire near a mosque in Southport on Tuesday night as riots broke out.
Large crowds clashed with police in Southport as tensions rose following knife attack
Activists were seen throwing rockets at police and attempting to damage riot vans.
Police were pelted with rubbish bins and bricks, while a police van was set ablaze, as police warned people not to speculate on the suspect’s identity.
An aerial view of Hart Street on Monday, where a horrific knife attack took place shortly before midday.
They were among 11 children stabbed during a “ferocious” knife attack that left mothers collecting their children screaming in horror.
Five other children, aged between six and 11, are in critical condition along with two adult women, including yoga teacher Leanne Lucas, who “bravely tried to protect them”.
As thousands of people attended an emotional vigil in Southport on Tuesday night, protests erupted in the streets surrounding Hart Street, where the attack took place.
Angry protesters tore down garden walls to use as missiles to launch at police, and also threw rubbish bins during the chaos.
Protesters set fire to a police van. Angry crowds shouted “Stop the boats” and kicked at police vans sent to restore order.
Some threw smoke bombs as men in caps and shorts charged at outnumbered police.
Dozens of riot vans and patrol cars rushed to the scene while a police helicopter hovered overhead as the violence spread out of control.
Large crowds of men, many of them masked and hooded, were seen clashing with police, while stones, bottles, bricks and fireworks were thrown at each other.
Protesters could be heard shouting: “No surrender” and “English until death.”
Several people carried signs with slogans calling for the ships to be stopped.
One of them read: “Stop the ships! Send them back! Fight for our children! Let us stand together!”
A woman carrying a sign said the disorder was because the man who attacked the children with the knife “was a Muslim.”
She said: ‘We are saying enough is enough. Why are they not stopping the migrants from coming in?
“How many more children are going to die because they let everyone in? They should be at the borders stopping them from entering.”
This comes after inaccurate posts made by social media detectives about the identity of the perpetrator received millions of views and interactions.
Merseyside Police Deputy Chief Constable Alex Goss said: ‘There has been a lot of speculation and hypotheses about the status of a 17-year-old boy who is currently in police custody, and some people are using this to bring violence and disorder to our streets.
‘We have already said that the person arrested was born in the UK and speculation does not help anyone at this point.
“It is sickening to see this happen within a community that has been devastated by the tragic loss of three young lives.”
Downing Street also warned against “unhelpful” speculation amid concerns that online misinformation could inflame tensions in the community.
The three girls stabbed to death at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class were identified by police today as nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, and six-year-old Bebe King (from left).
Officers should be given the space to investigate the case without people guessing the possible motive or circumstances, No 10 said.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Prime Minister was repeatedly asked “how many more children will die?” as he laid flowers at the site of the attack.
Sir Keir Starmer’s brief visit, which lasted around two minutes, was interrupted by some members of the audience who booed him.
As the Prime Minister walked past, a man declared: “This is your chance to have your photo taken.”
Another shouted: “How many more children? Our children are dead and you are already leaving.”
Other angry spectators shouted: “scum”, “it’s time for a change” and “go away, they don’t want you”.
Another woman said: “I just found out my friend’s nine-year-old daughter was murdered, the person I hugged as a child, and you can’t do anything.”
And a different man shouted, ‘Bring the truth to light!’
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has said social media companies “must take some responsibility” for some of their activities following the attack.
Responding to the shadow Home Secretary James Cleverly, he said: “I agree with him as well about the responsibility that lies with each of us. The police must be able to carry out this investigation.
There will be broader questions for other days, but the most important thing is that each of us supports the police in their investigation now.
‘I agree with him also on the responsibility of social media companies, because we must acknowledge that things happen within them that go against their terms and conditions, and also against their commitments. They must take some responsibility for this.
“These are, above all, young children. These are children and their families, who will be grieving, and the many other children who were affected yesterday who will also face great trauma.”