UK police clash with rioters in the wake of deadly knife attack at dance event

(NEW YORK) — Violence has shaken the U.K. as riots led by far-right groups have gripped multiple cities across the country, leading to nearly 150 arrests, according to officials.

The disorder spread from Islamophobic and anti-immigrant riots on Saturday called for by far-right groups seeking to exploit the knife attack that killed three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance party on July 29 in the town of Southport, a seaside town about 20 miles north of Liverpool, authorities said.

The protests that quickly turned violent have been fueled by disinformation circulated online by right-wing commentators falsely claiming the suspect in the stabbing attack was a Muslim illegal immigrant.

Since Friday, the riots have hit most major northern cities, including Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Sunderland, but also Bristol in southern England, and Belfast in Northern Ireland, the worst outbreak of public disorder in more than a decade. The U.K.’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday condemned the violence as “far-right thuggery,” pledging swift prosecution of those involved.

Hundreds of extremist demonstrators have attacked police and set fire to mosques and shops, with hundreds of masked individuals rampaging through city centers.

In the northern English town of Rotherham on Sunday, a mob of hundreds of people attacked a hotel that was housing asylum seekers. The rioters assaulted police protecting the hotel, smashing windows and then trying to set it on fire. At least 10 police officers were injured, South Yorkshire Police said, calling the violence “deplorable.”

“We absolutely condemn the scenes of disorder we witnessed, with a total of around 700 people in attendance,” the police added.

Several small fires were started, but South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Services “worked to extinguish these quickly,” according to officials.

A heavy police presence was expected to stay outside the hotel and the surrounding area for the rest of Sunday evening and into Monday, according to the police.

South of Rotherham, another hotel in Tamworth, England, was targeted by rioters. Police in the area urged the public to stay away while they worked on controlling the situation. One officer was injured, the police said Sunday night.

“We’re urging members of the public to avoid the area around the Holiday Inn, Tamworth, as specialist officers continue to deal with violent acts of thuggery,” Tamworth Police said in an update Sunday evening local time.

On Saturday, police said they rescued a Black man in Manchester who was being kicked and punched as dozens of men surrounded him. In Sunderland, hundreds of Muslim men gathered to protect a local mosque as groups of individuals targeted the religious building.

Starmer held crisis talks on Saturday with his government discussing measures to shut down the violence.

The prime minister released a statement Sunday condemning the violence and vowing to “do whatever it takes to bring these thugs to justice.”

“I utterly condemn the far-right thuggery we have seen this weekend,” Starmer said. 

“Be in no doubt: those who have participated in this violence will face the full force of the law,” he added.

“I guarantee you will regret taking part in this disorder, whether directly or those whipping up this action online and then running away themselves,” Starmer said. “This is not a protest, it is organized, violent thuggery and it has no place on our streets or online.”

Starmer said more arrests would follow and prosecutions would be swift. The government is moving to have courts open 24 hours a day to rapidly process the arrested. The government has also offered increased protection for mosques.

U.K. authorities have accused far-right groups of coordinating the violence. Following the deadly knife attack in Southport, far-right groups and commentators quickly spread false claims on social media, particularly X, that the attacker was a Muslim migrant who crossed illegally on the so-called “small boats” from Europe.

However, Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, a 17-year-old boy from Banks, a coastal village in Lancashire, just outside Southport, was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder, police said. The suspect was born in Cardiff, Wales, police said.