Violence erupted in several English cities on Saturday amid anti-immigrant protests, as crowds of far-right activists scuffled with the police and counterprotesters in the northern cities of Liverpool, Hull and Nottingham, among other locations.
Tensions have simmered in communities across Britain in the wake of a stabbing in the northern town of Southport on Monday, as misinformation over the identity of the attacker has swirled online.
The knife attack on a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga class for elementary school-aged girls stunned Britain and ignited days of anti-immigrant riots in multiple cities that were incited by far-right provocateurs.
Increasingly, the demonstrations have drawn counter-protests in communities across the country.
In Liverpool, a city near Southport, where Monday’s stabbing took place, police vehicles were damaged as protesters threw bricks and chanted “stop the boats” — a reference to asylum seekers who arrive in small boats in the English Channel — and antifascist groups confronted them on Saturday.
Persons:
Taylor Swift
Organizations:
counterprotesters, Hull
Locations:
Liverpool, Nottingham, Britain, Southport