More than 100 people have been arrested in London as further protests took place in several cities after the Southport stabbings.
A police car was set alight after a large group of people gathered in the Murray Street area of Hartlepool on Wednesday evening. Officers were attacked with missiles, glass bottles and eggs, Cleveland police said.
In Manchester, demonstrators turned out in large numbers outside the Holiday Inn hotel on Oldham Road at about 6pm on Wednesday, the Manchester Evening News reported.
About 40 people, which the paper reported included children and men wearing balaclavas, gathered outside the Oldham Road premises in what the paper said “appeared to be a stand against asylum seekers currently being housed in the hotel”.
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 said: “Over 100 people have been arrested for offences including violent disorder, assault on an emergency worker, and breach of protest conditions. Some officers suffered minor injuries.”
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 on to 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 far-rightwing activist.
Eight people were arrested after rioters in Hartlepool threw missiles, glass bottles and eggs at police during a disturbance linked to events in Southport.
A police car was also set alight during large-scale unrest over several hours in Hartlepool town centre on Wednesday night.
The protest began at about 6pm and led to the rapid deployment of police officers from Cleveland police as well as neighbouring forces.
Several hundred people gathered on the streets. Pictures and videos show police with riot shields being threatened by protesters carrying wooden bats and poles. There were also children throwing missiles at police.
Some of those present were shouting anti-immigrant slogans.
At one point police rescued a group of three men and a woman who appeared to have been trapped in a terrace house. The woman was carried to safety by a member of her group, and was highly distressed as she seemed to have had a panic attack.
Officers in riot gear moved quickly down a street and extracted the group from a terrace house where youths had gathered outside.
Firefighters extinguished a police car that had been set ablaze in the disorder. After crews moved on people were seen posing for selfies in front of the burnt-out vehicle.
The town centre standoff between protesters and police went on until about midnight.
Ch Supt David Sutherland of Cleveland police said: “At this stage we believe the protest is in connection with the incident in Southport earlier this week. Our officers are facing missiles, glass bottles and eggs being thrown at them and have made arrests as they remain in the area to protect the safety of those living in the community.”
In Manchester, the local councillor John Flanagan wrote on social media to respond to the violence, labelling those involved in the “sickening” incident as “mindless idiots”.
“I’d like to condemn these mindless thugs, attacking innocent men who are asylum seekers. They have been there for months and we have not had any issues or problems. They have been in a place of safety,” the councillor for Miles Platting and Newton Heath said.
“We cannot allow our country and our city to descend into anarchy, which seems to be being driven by madness on social media.”
In Aldershot, the local MP Alex Baker rebuked the violence in her community, stating there was “no justification for disorderly behaviour and the scenes do not represent Aldershot and Farnborough”.
“I have visited the scene myself this evening and have been in touch with the chief inspector … We all support our shared right to peacefully protest but we will not stand for people coming into our towns determined to stir up trouble and divide our community.”
Violence erupted in Southport on Tuesday after a vigil for three girls killed in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club.
Police officers in Southport sustained serious injuries when bricks, stones and bottles were thrown and cars were set alight during violent protests. The disorder near the town’s mosque came after false rumours were circulated online about the suspect.
Five people have been arrested over the unrest so far, at which 53 officers and three police dogs were injured.
A 17-year-old boy has been charged with the murders of the three girls. Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, were fatally stabbed on Monday at a dance class on Hart Street in Southport, Merseyside.
Eight other children sustained knife wounds with five of them in critical condition. Two adults were also critically hurt.
The accused has been remanded in custody to appear at Liverpool magistrates court, Derby Square, on Thursday.
