Thirty-nine police officers were injured in violent clashes that erupted outside a mosque in Southport, as protesters hurled bricks, masonry, and fireworks at law enforcement. The incident, which occurred following a stabbing attack that claimed the lives of three children, has left the community in shock and grief.
Footage circulating on social media captured a police van engulfed in flames, while demonstrators attacked officers equipped with riot shields. The North West Ambulance Service reported that 39 officers sustained injuries, with 27 requiring hospitalization. Injuries ranged from fractures and lacerations to a suspected broken nose and concussion.
Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Constable Alex Goss described the violence as “sickening” in a statement released on Tuesday night. He noted that officers from other districts were called back to duty to help control the chaos. Offenders have destroyed garden walls to use the bricks to attack our officers and have set cars belonging to the public on fire, and damaged cars parked in the Mosque car park,” Goss stated.
Tensions in Southport were heightened following Monday’s stabbing attack, in which three children were killed while attending a Taylor Swift-themed yoga and dance workshop. Police vans and officers stood guard outside the Southport Islamic Society Mosque amid chants of “No surrender!” and “English till I die!” from sections of the crowd.
Our reporter witnessed riot police charging at protesters with dogs in an attempt to push them back. Three police dogs were wounded, with one suffering burns to the back of its leg.
Sir Keir Starmer condemned the violence on Tuesday night, stating, “The people of Southport are reeling after the horror inflicted on them. They deserve our support and our respect. Those who have hijacked the vigil for the victims with violence and thuggery have insulted the community as it grieves. They will feel the full force of the law.”
Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, earlier warned against using the killing of three schoolgirls to “stir up division” and spread misinformation online. Speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday evening, she told MPs, “False information has already been extensively shared in the last 24 hours. Those who do this for their own purposes risk undermining a crucial criminal investigation and I ask everyone to show some respect for the community in Southport and for families who are grieving and in trauma.
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