Sir Keir Starmer has slammed a ‘Nazi salute at the Cenotaph’ during a violent protest after the Southport stabbings.
The Prime Minister also condemned flares being fired at the statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square.
Sir Keir stressed: “Make no mistake, whether it’s in Southport, London or Hartlepool these people are showing our country exactly who they are.
“ Mosques targeted because they are Mosques.
“Flares thrown at the statue of Winston Churchill.
“A Nazi salute at the Cenotaph.”
In London, a large protest was staged under the title of Enough is Enough, with arrests made after demonstrators clashed with officers in Whitehall on Wednesday.
The Metropolitan Police arrested 111 people after officers were attacked and subjected to assault during the protest, the force said.
Demonstrators were seen launching beer cans and glass bottles at a line of police in riot gear in front of Downing Street and throwing flares onto the statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square.
The angry scenes also included loud chants of “we want our country back” and “Oh Tommy Robinson”, referring to the Right-wing activist.
Met Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist stressed that the force’s officers had faced “unacceptable scenes of disorder and violence.”
A dedicated team of officers was working to bring charges, Scotland Yard said.
There is potential for more violence in the wake of the Southport stabbings, a Home Office minister said on Friday, as he warned protest ringleaders: “We will be watching you”.
Asked how concerned the Government is about the prospect of further disorder on the streets this weekend, Lord Hanson told LBC Radio: “There is that potential.
“But I always say to anybody who’s organising this, we will be watching you. If you are organising this now, we will be watching you.
“We have powers under existing legislation to stop you organising this now and to take action accordingly, and if you do take action and are not part of any organised group, be prepared to face the full force of the law on this criminal activity.”
Asked whether those involved are from the Far Right, he said: “Some individuals will have far-right opinions, in my view, some might be caught up in the summer madness. Some might be people who’ve got genuine concerns.
“Whatever those concerns are, there are mechanisms where they can raise them with their Member of Parliament, they can peacefully protest and they can take those issues forward.”
Seven men have been charged after violent disorder broke out in Hartlepool on Wednesday, police have confirmed.
Cleveland Police said all seven men were charged with violent disorder.
Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram said on Friday that he was “concerned” that there could be a repeat of the violence that followed the Southport stabbings.
Mr Rotheram told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “We’re always concerned, aren’t we, that there could be a repeat of violence somewhere in the Liverpool City Region.”
He added: “I hope that there aren’t further incidents - we’re very much aware of them.
“I’m speaking to Serena Kennedy, who is the chief police officer in the Liverpool City Region, in Merseyside, on a regular basis.
“We’ve got the contingencies - we know exactly what we’d need to do to ensure that these things are nipped in the bud.”
After meeting police chiefs in Downing Street on Thursday, Sir Keir announced a new clamp down on criminal and violent disorder.
A new programme will bring together the best policing capabilities from across the country to share intelligence on the activity of violent groups so the authorities can swiftly intervene to arrest them.
Local insight and data will be used to gain a national understanding of where these criminals are operating, including the British Transport Police alerting where they see a spike in train ticket sales that could be linked to organised violent disorder.
The programme will also support the swift deployment of surge teams to forces who need them, for example, when they’re faced with intelligence that suggests organised violence in a particular area.
More than a dozen protests have been planned for the coming days in the wake of the Southport stabbings.
At least 15 protests were being advertised online, some calling for participants to bring England flags and a number contain phrases such as “enough is enough”, “save our kids” or “stop the boats”.
The protests are being planned for areas such as Southport, Leeds and Bristol.
Two counter-protests are also being advertised online.
It comes after the 17-year-old charged with the murder of three girls in the knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport appeared at Liverpool Crown Court and was named as Axel Rudakubana, from Banks in Lancashire.
