Eight people were arrested and three police officers were injured during violent unrest in Britain’s northeast, the latest in a wave of protests around the country after the fatal stabbing of three children earlier this week.
The eight were taken into custody on Friday night in Sunderland, Northumbria Police Chief Superintendent Helena Barron said in a statement, calling the scenes “completely unacceptable.”
The latest clash came days after violent far-right protests broke out in the northwestern town of Southport, where a teenage boy fatally stabbed three girls aged between six and nine during an event at a dance school. Eight other children also suffered stab wounds, and five of them were in critical condition alongside two adults believed to have been injured while protecting them.
Videos circulating on social media from the Sunderland protest show a local police station on fire and large crowds gathered carrying anti-immigrant signs.
“The shocking scenes we have witnessed in Sunderland this evening are completely unacceptable,” Chief Superintendent Barron said.
“I want to make it absolutely clear that the disorder, violence and damage which has occurred will not be tolerated.”
Earlier this week, police said they believed the crowd in Southport took to the streets over unconfirmed reports speculating on the identity of the teenage stabbings suspect.
The 17-year-old appeared at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court on Thursday and was named as Axel Rudakubana, PA Media reported after a judge lifted the reporting restrictions that normally apply to minors.
He has been charged with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder, as well as possession of a bladed article.
Police have said the suspect was born in Wales and lived in a village nearby, according to Reuters.
Lewis Atkinson, Labour MP for Sunderland Central, said on X that he was “appalled” by the scenes of destruction in the city on Friday.
“Our city is not represented by a tiny minority causing trouble,” Atkinson added, pledging his “full support” for the police to respond to “criminal thuggery and work to protect all the communities of our city.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper warned criminals stoking disorder “will pay the price for their violence and thuggery,” in a post on X on Friday.
“The police have the full backing of Government to take the strongest possible action & ensure they face the full force of the law. They do not represent Britain,” she said.