RIGHT NOW: Throwing rocks and bottles at riot police

UK
Riot police on site in Southport - clashes between police and far-right group

Ellen Sundstrom

Updated 22.59 | Published 21.45

Bricks, bottles and stones have been thrown at police outside a mosque in Southport, writes Sky News.

Tensions have flared between a police officer and a large group of people belonging to the Islamophobic and far-right organization English Defense League.

According to Sky News, one police officer can be seen with blood on his face, and a number of officers have received minor injuries, although it is unclear how many.

Firecrackers have also been heard at the scene and people are said to be trying to overturn a police car. Police dogs have been deployed, and at least one police vehicle is on fire.

People should shout "Don't give up" and "English till I die" at the site. Merseyside police have said, according to Sky News, that the riot began when a large group of people, believed to be supporters of the Islamophobic and far-right organization English Defence League, began throwing objects at the mosque.

 

1 / 2Photo: Richard McCarthy / AP

By 10:15 p.m., The Guardian reported that police had cleared the area directly outside the mosque, but that people were still throwing stones at the police.

After the fatal knife attack

Three little girls have died after a knife attack in Southport on Monday. A name has circulated on social media, something that the police now confirm is false.

“A name has been shared on social media in connection with the suspect in the incident in Southport. This name is incorrect and we urge people not to speculate on the details of the incident while the investigation is ongoing," the police wrote in a press release on Tuesday.

 

1 / 2Photo: Richard McCarthy / AP

According to Sky News, false claims that the boy who is a suspect was an asylum seeker who had arrived in Britain by boat have been spread online.

- We have already said that the arrested person was born in Great Britain and speculation does not help anyone right now. "It's sickening to see this happen in a community that has been devastated by the tragic loss of three young lives," said Deputy Chief Alex Goss.

According to Sky News, false claims that the boy who is a suspect was an asylum seeker who had arrived in Britain by boat have been spread online.

A memorial service was held for the three victims in Southport on Tuesday evening. During the evening, the police were able to arrest a man in his 30s on suspicion of possessing a knife, writes Sky news. The knife has been seized by the police.