LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will meet senior police officers on Thursday after clashes between protesters and police sparked by the deaths of three young girls in a knife attack at a dance class.
London on Wednesday witnessed angry scenes as thousands of anti-immigration protesters gathered near Downing Street and chanted “save our kids” and “we want our country back”.
More than 50 police officers were injured in violent clashes last night in the English seaside town of Southport, where Monday’s stabbings took place.
A 17-year-old male was in police custody on suspicion of killing after the bloody rampage on Monday at a “Taylor Swift yoga and dance workshop”, a summer vacation program for children aged 6 to 11.
Starmer’s office during Thursday’s meeting he would offer police the government’s full backing after multiple high-profile incidents of extreme violence and public disorder on streets.
“While the right to peaceful protest must be protected at all costs, he will be clear that criminals who exploit that right in order to sow hatred and carry out violent acts will face the full force of the law,” his office added.
The protest took place after false information was spread on social media platforms that the suspect was a Muslim migrant.
Police said the incident was not related to terrorism and that the suspect was born in the UK, quashing speculation about his origins.
