The Southport tragedy, which saw three young girls knifed to death as they attended a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, has been hijacked by violent rioters and far-right groups.
Since Monday, when the horror emerged on the Merseyside, protesters have brought chaos to the streets of Britain, breaking police officers’ bones, setting fire to community buildings and looting businesses.
Far-right and neo-Nazi groups are said to have sparked the street protests, using social media to stir up anger and release calls for hundreds to take part in anti-immigration demonstrations.
It has led to men with Swastikas tattooed on their body appearing in residential suburbs, while others have been filmed raising the Nazi salute or chanting facist slogans.
According to experts, the unrest is blamed on a ‘network’ or ‘post-organisational’ hard-right.
A man with a Swastika tattoo is seen attending a far-right protest in Sunderland this week
A man in Belfast appears to raise his hand in a Nazi salute in front of police officers during an anti-immigration rally
Man at protest in Manchester raises the Nazi salute during a demonstration
A group of men raise the Nazi salute to police officers during a demonstration in Leicester
A police car burns as officers are deployed on the streets of Hartlepool following a violent protest on Wednesday
Instead of older movements, such as the English Defence League (EDL), British National Party or the National Front, these protests have been sparked by provocative individuals on social media, who react to the news.
They use this underground movement to build up momentum for their various ’causes’ – this can be anything from the targetting of migrant hotels, drag queen story times and 15-minute cities.
And following the knife rampage on Monday in Southport – that also saw eight children and two adults injured – a protest took place outside a Mosque in the town.
This occurred after misinformation spread the wrong name of the person accused of the killings.
Fake news websites and Russian state media wrongly identified the suspect, claiming he had arrived to the UK by boat last year sharing claims he was an M16 watchlist.
According to The Sunday Times’, the protesters had initially wanted to target a migrant hotel but after not being able to find it, decided to target a local Mosque instead.
Amongst those spotted at the first riot in Southport were members from Patriotic Alternative – a group which Michael Gove accused of promoting neo-Nazi ideology in the House of Commons earlier this year.
One of its leaders, Joe Marsh – also known as Joe Butler – reportedly shared an image on Teegram account showing a bloody handprint and calling on his followers to a ‘protest demo’ titled ‘Enough is Enough’.
Far-right protesters arrived outside Downing Street on Wednesday evening with signs that say ‘we will not be silenced’
A police van was set on fire near a mosque in Southport on Tuesday evening as riots broke out
A burnt out police van near a mosque in Southport as shocking riots broke out on Tuesday
Damage to the Southport Islamic Society Mosque after rioters congregated around the sacred building
The unruly violence in Southport began on Wednesday after an online poster shared said ‘Keep Our Kids Safe’ and was billed as a ‘peaceful protest’.
The unrest has led to more protests and violence across all corners of Britain from Liverpool to Bristol, London to Manchester.
The ugly scenes have left some British highstreets in tatters, with missiles being thrown at police officers and buildings.
One man covered in tattoos including a very prominent Swastika tattoo on his back, can be heard declaring while at a protest in Sunderland ‘English, mate, I am’ after he was complimented on his ‘pure British’ tattoos.
In other images from Belfast yesterday – where Middle Eastern food shops were amongst those attacked during an anti-immigration protest, a man is seen raising his hand in what appears to be a Nazi salute.
Former chief prosecutor for North West England Nazir Afzal wrote this weeek: Nazi salutes, swastika tattoos, defecating in gardens, looting local shops, attacking mosques, chanting fascist slogans, throwing missiles at everyone & setting police stations on fire, but don’t you dare call them “far right”
‘Well, just plain “Nazis” it is then.’
LEEDS: A masked protester raises his arms outside Leeds Town Hall. The protesters were allegedly organised as a response to the killings in Southport
A person throws a chair in Bristol amid violence on the southern city’s streets
Rubble lies at the feet of police officers thrown by protesters in Liverpool, amid horrifying violence
A group of well-known, far-right figures were spotted over riots this week.
Pastor Rikki Doolan, who has spoke of ‘ethnic nationalism’ in the past was seen in Southport, alongside David Miles – known as Jack the Nipper – who travelled up from the West Midlands, who is described as a Patriotic Alternative activist.
Meanwhile Matthew Hankinson, who was previously jailed for being a member of National Action, tweeted during the riots: ‘Peaceful protest at the anger of the murder of White Children by a foreign import.’
Tommy Robinson – whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – tweeted: ‘The British are angry, betrayed by their government, our children’s safety has been taken from us.’
‘The media lie to us and people are sick to f***ing death of 2 tier policing. Basically if you riot they listen to you, that’s the message [they] sent out. This is Southport right now. People have had enough.’
Last night scenes of chaos took to Liverpool, Bristol, Hull and Manchester, with bins being set alight, shops looted and officers left with broken bones.
A community library on the Merseyside that only opened last year after months of fundraising was set on fire as more than 300 people descended on the streets of a deprived city suburb.
MANCHESTER: Activists take part in a protest at Piccadilly Gardens, holding an England flag
Horrific video appeared to show demonstrators rushing an Asian man in his car in Hull
In Hull, tyres had been set on fire as black smoke from the blaze filled the city’s streets
NOTTINGHAM: Police officers detain a woman during a demonstration as she screams her protest
Police officers detain a woman during a protest in Nottingham Market Square yesterday
As firefighters tried to put on the flames that engulfed Spellow Lane Library Hub – which also functions as a food bank – rioters threw a missile at the engine, before breaking the rear window of a nearby cab.
Shocking photos from this morning show the burnt out interior of the library, with bookshelves tipped on their side, and glass surrounding the remaining computers.
In Hull, a Shoezone was pictured with smashed out windows with a fire raging inside. Those involved were seen carelessly trading Crocs on the side of the road while chaos ensued.
Meanwhile, in Belfast stores were shamelessly set on fire and destroyed – with photos from outside one café showing yobs smashing their benches on the ground.
Emergency services are now bracing themselves for more outbursts today with rallies planned in Rotherham, Rushmoor, Weymouth, Middlesborough and Lancaster this afternoon.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has pledged his ‘full support’ for police to take action against ‘extremists’ attempting to ‘sow hate’ by intimidating communities – as he held emergency talks with ministers over the unrest in parts of England.
And Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said people involved in the clashes ‘will pay the price’ and that ‘criminal violence and disorder has no place on Britain’s streets’.
