A 17-year-old boy has been charged with the murder of three young girls in Southport as far-right mobs clashed with riot police across the UK after protests in the seaside town spread. The mobs, thought to be made up of elements of the far-right, including supporters of Tommy Robinson and football hooligans, joined the “Enough is Enough” demonstration in London, where more than 100 people were arrested. The boy, who cannot be legally named because of his age, has been charged with three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder, and one count of possession of a bladed article. He will appear in court on Thursday.
Southport protests latest: Boy, 17, charged with girls’ murder as far-right mobs clash with police across UK
Boy, 17, charged with murder and attempted murder after Southport stabbings
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
A 17-year-old boy has been charged with the murder of three young girls in Southport as far-right mobs clashed with riot police across the UK after protests in the seaside town spread.
A few hundred far-right demonstrators joined the “Enough is Enough” demonstration in London on Wednesday evening, with flares thrown towards Downing Street and a statue of Winston Churchill in the wake of the horrific knife attack in which eight others were also injured.
The mobs are thought to be made up of elements of the far-right, including supporters of Tommy Robinson and football hooligans. Danny Tommo, a known associate of Robinson, is understood to have initially called for the Downing Street protest, with Robinson himself and Laurence Fox also issuing rallying cries on social media.
More than 100 people were arrested at the demonstration, where the crowd was heard chanting “Rule Britannia” and “we want our country back”.
Scenes of violent also unrest broke out in Manchester Hartlepool overnight, where police made several arrests and a car was set on fire, as well as in Manchester, while a demonstration in Aldershot saw a tense stand-off with riot police.
Merseyside Police has made a fifth arrest following violent disorder in Southport on Tuesday night, which saw a mob throwing bricks and bottles outside a mosque.
Police accused individuals who are not part of the Merseyside community of using lies and disinformation around the identity of the knifeman in Monday’s attack “to bring violence and disorder to our streets”.
A 17-year-old, who cannot be legally named because of his age, has been charged with three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a bladed article. He will appear in court on Thursday.
Have you been affected by this incident? Email tara.cobham@independent.co.uk
Key Points
Show latest update 1722494607
Scenes of violent unrest break out across UK overnight as Southport protests spread
Scenes of violent unrest broke out in London, Hartlepool and Manchester overnight while a demonstration in Aldershot saw a tense stand-off with riot police.
In London, more than 100 people were arrested after protesters in Whitehall launched beer cans and glass bottles at police and threw flares at the statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square.
Demonstrators wearing England flags and waving banners saying “enough is enough” and “stop the boats” had congregated outside Downing Street in the wake of the killing of three young girls in a knife attack in Southport, which social media posts had wrongly claimed was carried out by a Muslim asylum seeker who crossed the Channel in a small boat.
The angry scenes also included loud chants of: “We want our country back” and: “Oh Tommy Robinson”, referring to the right-wing activist. One man wore a shirt with the slogan: “Nigel Farage for Prime Minister, Tommy Robinson for Home Secretary”.
Confrontations continued late into the night in Hartlepool, where demonstrators set fire to a police car and pelted officers with missiles, including glass bottles.
Cleveland Police have so far made eight arrests, with more expected.
Manchester police confronted another demonstration outside the Holiday Inn on Oldham Road before dispersing the crowd after protesters started throwing beer bottles at officers and members of the public.
According to the Manchester Evening News, this incident also saw chants of: “We want our country back”, while a group of men were seen jumping in the path of a bus, smashing its wing mirror and assaulting a passenger.
Aldershot appears to have escaped the violence seen in other parts of the country, but a demonstration there was still met by riot police.
The string of violent incidents follows similar scenes in Southport on Tuesday, where demonstrators attacked police and set cars on fire.
A demonstration outside Downing Street descended into violence as protesters threw bottles at police officers on Wednesday (PA Wire)
Tara Cobham1 August 2024 07:43
1722493806
Starmer to meet police chiefs after second night of violence hits Britain
The Prime Minister is set to hold an emergency meeting with senior police officers in Downing Street following a second night of violence across England.
The meeting in Downing Street on Thursday afternoon comes after scenes of violent unrest in London, Hartlepool and Manchester overnight while a demonstration in Aldershot saw a tense stand-off with riot police.
Sir Keir Starmer is expected to remind the police that people “exploit” the right to protest in order to “sow hatred” or commit “violent acts” should be met with “the full force of the law”.
He is expected to express his full support for their efforts to deal with the violence and praise their “bravery” in dealing with both the incident in Southport and its aftermath.
He will also commit to working in partnership with police forces across the UK and encourage them to use their powers to “stop mindless violence in its tracks”.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrives to lay flowers at the scene of the stabbing attack on Hart Street in Southport on Tuesday (EPA)
Tara Cobham1 August 2024 07:30
1722492000
ICYMI: Hero dance teacher awake but ‘not out of the woods yet’, family say
The hero yoga teacher who was stabbed while protecting children in the Southport knife attack is awake and has spoken for the first time, her family said.
Leanne Lucas, 35, has been in critical condition since a knifeman targeting both children and adults at a Taylor-Swift themed dance class on Monday morning.
Ms Lucas, who is believed to have been running the class, has been described by her cousin Chris Rimmer as a “hero” and who had “shielded two girls” during the attack.
He told the BBC that the family have been “torn apart” by the incident. He added that she is “not out of the woods yet”, but that she is recovering.
“Everyone that is sat in this house right now is just concentrating on getting her home and concentrating on her [recovering enough] that we can see her,” Mr Rimmer added.
Leanne Lucas, 35, has been named locally as one of the heroic dance class teachers wounded while trying to protect children (Supplied)
Athena Stavrou1 August 2024 07:00
1722490200
Man charged in connection to Southport riots to appear in court today
A man has been charged with possession of an offensive weapon after riots in Southport, Merseyside Police said.
A man was detained in Eastbank Street in the town at around 6.55pm on Tuesday and a knife was recovered, the force added.
Jordan Davies, 32, of Portland Street, Southport, has been charged with possession of a knife, blade or sharp-pointed article in a public place.
He will appear at Wirral Adult Remand Court on Thursday.
Athena Stavrou1 August 2024 06:30
1722489381
Starmer to clamp down on ‘mindless violence’
The prime minister will host senior police leaders in Downing Street on Thursday afternoon in the wake of violent unrest in multiple parts of the country.
He is expected to remind the police that people “exploit” the right to protest in order to “sow hatred” or commit “violent acts” should be met with “the full force of the law”.
Sir Keir Starmer will commit to working in partnership with police forces across the UK to stop “mindless violence” following scenes of unrest in Southport, London, Hartlepool and elsewhere.
Andre Langlois1 August 2024 06:16
1722488400
Pictures: ‘Enough is Enough’ protest in Whitehall
(Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire)(Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire)(Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire)
Athena Stavrou1 August 2024 06:00
1722484800
How peaceful vigil for tragic loss of three young lives descended into violent riots in Southport
The tight-knit community of Southport gathered in the town centre at 6pm to grieve together. Hundreds of people held each other and wiped away tears as Martin Abrahams, the spiritual leader at Southport Hospital, said the crowds “show we want to stand together”.
But despite the mournful air, tensions that had been building throughout the day were palpable.
There were growing fears over how many were going to turn up to a far-right protest planned to take place outside a mosque on St Luke’s Road that evening, an event police were understood to be monitoring.
Athena Stavrou1 August 2024 05:00
1722481200
Southport riots: Jo Cox’s partner says ‘Farage nothing better than Tommy Robinson in a suit’
Southport riots: Jo Cox’s partner says ‘Farage nothing better than Tommy Robinson in a suit’
Athena Stavrou1 August 2024 04:00
1722477600
Mosque chairman feared rioters would break in and burn building down – ICYMI
A mosque chairman and imam has described being trapped in the building while violence erupted outside as “terrifying” but said the supportive community response has been “humbling”.
Ibrahim Hussein said he is at a loss as to why people shouting abuse and throwing missiles had targeted Southport mosque and that he had feared rioters would at one point break in and “burn the place down”.
Police officers suffered serious injuries in the disorder on Tuesday night, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer saying rioters had “hijacked” a vigil for the victims of a stabbing attack at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club.
Mr Hussein said the experience, in which he and around eight other people were trapped inside the mosque, had been “terrifying”.
“It was absolutely, awful, horrendous,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
Mr Hussein, who only escaped at midnight with a police guard, added: “We couldn’t understand this viciousness that was going on, and even the police were taking a hammering from this lot.”
Ibrahim Hussein spoke to reporters outside Southport mosque (James Speakman/PA) (PA Wire)
Athena Stavrou1 August 2024 03:00
1722474000
Recap: Violent protest breaks out in London
Far-right protesters clashed with police for a second evening on Wednesday, as a large demonstration took place outside Downing Street and near the Cenotaph.
Hundreds of officers kitted in riot gear lined the street around the Cenotaph, tackling the occasional protester to the ground as violent confrontations broke out.
Riot police detained a number of violent protesters, after the Metropolitan Police set out public order conditions for the protest badged ‘Enough is Enough’.
When one woman was detained, shouts of “traitors” could be heard amongst the crowd, alongside cries of “how many kids?”.
The angry mob had gathered at 7pm on Wednesday after news of the demonstration had circulated on social media.
A police helicopter circled overhead as beer bottles and flares were thrown in central London over the course of two hours, with Winston Churchill’s statue and the Downing Street gates targeted.
Independent media bloggers were seen livestreaming to the event while push backs against the police were met with loud jeers.
Athena Stavrou1 August 2024 02:00
Read the full story on www.independent.co.uk
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/southport-stabbing-suspect-charged-protest-latest-b2589373.html