Southport stabbing latest: Flares thrown towards Downing Street

Protesters at the “Enough is Enough” demonstration have thrown cans at police outside Downing Street.

Officers put on riot gear as demonstrators chanting Tommy Robinson’s name surrounded The Cenotaph.

Protesters have thrown flares on to the statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square.

The demonstrators also shouted abuse at nearby pro-Ukrainian demonstrators and police.

Loud chants of “Oh Tommy Robinson” and “we want our country back” were also heard.

Protesters have thrown flares towards the gates of Downing Street at a demonstration taking place in the wake of the murders and subsequent riots in Southport.

A few hundred protesters chanting “Rule Britannia”, “save our kids” and “stop the boats” attempted to leave the pavement opposite Downing Street in defiance of strict Metropolitan Police conditions on the protest.

Shortly after 7pm, the protesters – many of whom were drinking alcohol – began marching towards Parliament Square.

A mosque chairman and imam has described being trapped in the building while violence erupted outside as “terrifying” but said the supportive community response has been “humbling”.

Ibrahim Hussein said he is at a loss as to why people shouting abuse and throwing missiles had targeted Southport mosque and that he had feared rioters would at one point break in and “burn the place down”.

Police officers suffered serious injuries in the disorder on Tuesday night, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer saying rioters had “hijacked” a vigil for the victims of a stabbing attack at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club.

Mr Hussein said the experience, in which he and around eight other people were trapped inside the mosque, had been “terrifying”.

“It was absolutely, awful, horrendous,” he told reporters on Wednesday.

Mr Hussein, who only escaped at midnight with a police guard, added: “We couldn’t understand this viciousness that was going on, and even the police were taking a hammering from this lot.”

Police are braced for more violence after far-right protesters hijacked the tragic murders of three schoolgirls in Southport to launch riots which left 50 officers injured.

Far-right thugs were accused of using the horrific stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class to “whip up hatred” as misinformation about the identity of the suspected knifeman spread like wildfire on social media.

There have been calls for the government to come down hard on those spreading misleading information as Merseyside Police called in support from other forces amid fears of further action.

Read the full article here from our crime correspondent Amy-Clare Martin:

The Met police have placed conditions on a protest taking place outside Downing Street in the wake of the murders and subsequent riots in Southport.

Demonstrators taking part in the Enough Is Enough protest have to stay within a certain area and must leave at 8.30pm, the force said.

The event was promoted by actor Laurence Fox on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday.

Superintendent Neil Holyoak, who is leading the policing of the protest, said: “Following the tragic events in Southport, it is understandable the public have strong feelings about this shocking incident – but the subsequent violent, unlawful disorder that unfolded was completely unacceptable and driven by misinformation.

“Everyone has a right to protest and we continue to balance the right to lawful protest with everyone’s right to go about their lives without fear or serious disruption – which is why we have put conditions in place and deployed more officers across London.

“We are speaking to the protest organisers as well as local community groups, businesses and religious leaders, in particular the Muslim community who have been impacted by this week’s disorder in Southport.

“I urge everyone to exercise their right to protest calmly and within the law. Any disorder will be dealt with swiftly.”

Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson has said the “thugs and hooligans” involved in violence in Southport “must be held to account for their actions”.

Dame Diana wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “This is shocking to hear from a chief constable that so many of her officers were injured in the line of duty last night.

“The thugs and hooligans involved must be held to account for their actions on the streets of Southport yesterday.”

The Home Office minister had shared a video clip featuring Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy, who told broadcasters that officers who dealt with riots on Tuesday were “some of the first responders who attended that awful scene on Monday and then were faced with that level of violence”.

Security sources have pointed out that both China and Russia have large teams and netowrks working on disinformation campaigns which fuel social division and violence in the UK and other western democracies.

Read the full article here: