Published 4 August 2024 at 10.12
Domestic. More than 90 people were arrested after anti-immigration protesters clashed with immigrants and left-wing extremists in several cities around the UK also on Saturday. The demonstrations were a reaction to the murder of three young girls by a Third World immigrant at a Taylor Swift party outside Liverpool earlier this week.
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The protesters, who in the photos from the event appear to be dominated by men in their 40s and 50s from the British lower class, smashed kebab stands and attacked BMW-carrying immigrants and the like in several parts of the island nation during the night.
Most Western media have toned down their reporting of the unrest, perhaps for fear of spillover effects. On SVT's, DN's, Aftonbladet's and Expressen's home pages, for example, there was no news that there had been trouble in Great Britain during the night, despite the media companies' usually great interest in reporting on alleged xenophobia and racism.
But it has been noisy. Major disturbances took place in Hull, Liverpool, Bristol, Manchester, Stoke-on-Trent, Blackpool and Belfast, with objects thrown, shops looted and police and immigrants attacked.
NOW – Civil unrest is spreading across cities in England.pic.twitter.com/kQmgmCmWma
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) August 3, 2024
Belfast northern Ireland tonight. pic.twitter.com/8MwIJNyAsQ
— Theresa Hiede Tranah (@watchwomanj35u5) August 4, 2024
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer pledged to give the police full support to act against “extremists” trying to “sow hate”.
In Liverpool, bricks, bottles and a smoke bomb were thrown at the police. One police officer was hit in the head by a chair and another was kicked and fell off his motorcycle.
Around a thousand anti-immigration demonstrators participated and were confronted by far-left counter-demonstrators and immigrants. A couple of hundred immigrants and anti-fascist protesters gathered near Liverpool's Lime Street station to brawl with the right-wing extremists.
In several places the demonstrators were met by immigrants who spontaneously went out to brawl and also by larger Muslim groups walking around with accoutrements and weapons and shouting allahu akbahr, apparently without being disturbed by the police. Below a video from Stoke-on-Trent.
Gangs of 'Muslims' with weapons roam the streets of Stoke to attack protesters pic .twitter.com/vDn3S1pEFj
— Queen Natalie (@TheNorfolkLion) August 3, 2024
Saturday's protests followed a violent night in Sunderland on Friday, with four police officers hospitalized after hundreds of people threw beer cans and bricks at officers outside a mosque while a civic office was set on fire. Twelve people were arrested in connection with this.
The BBC has identified at least 30 right-wing extremists who took part in the riots, but not any of the left-wing extremists. It's unclear if the state-owned radio giant has even attempted it.
Latest visuals of Liverpool riots https://t.co/JatDwsruSQ
— Amit Shah (Parody) (@Motabhai012) August 3, 2024
In Belfast, different factions of Catholics and Protestants demonstrated together for the first time against immigration.
Feuding brothers reconcile when a maniac is at the door.
Belfast https://t.co/CMQWY1xWeC— Blacksun13r (@drahcir13H) August 4, 2024
Essentially, though, Belfast looked like it did during the rowdier days of the conflict in Northern Ireland.
Migrant restaurant destroyed in Belfast. The country is on the brink 🔥
pic.twitter.com/1SksDmsBP0
— Paul Golding (@GoldingBF) August 4, 2024
District prosecutors have now been appointed to prosecute people arrested in connection with the violent unrest.
The country's shadow home secretary , James Cleverly, called on the Prime Minister and Home Secretary to “do more” to restore law and order and send a clear message to the “thugs”.