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Sir Keir Starmer has warned that “violence committed by a small minority of thugs” will be met with the full weight of the law after large crowds clashed with police in Liverpool and Manchester on Saturday.
It was just the latest disruption after several nights of unrest in towns and cities across England, triggered by the murder of three girls on Monday.
Starmer held emergency talks with ministers on Saturday to discuss the riots spurred by far-right agitators. He said the right to freedom of expression and violent disorder were “two very different things” and labelled participants “extremists”.
He said that the government backed the police to “take all necessary action” to keep Britain’s streets safe following attacks on police officers, disruption to local businesses and what he said were attempts to sow hate by intimidating communities.
Yvette Cooper, home secretary, said the “criminal violence and disorder” was unacceptable. The government would back the police in acting against “thuggery” and individuals involved in disorder would “pay the price”, she said.
Merseyside Police described scenes of “serious disorder” in Liverpool on Saturday; several officers were injured after masked protesters threw bricks and chairs at police and rampaged along the city’s waterfront.
The violence was originally sparked by a mass stabbing in Southport, in north-west England, on Monday, in which three girls were killed and eight other children and two adults were injured. A suspect has been arrested and charged with murder.
Politicians in Liverpool had warned outsiders with a “racist” agenda not to exploit the Southport killings.
Steve Rotheram, mayor of Liverpool city region, said on Saturday that “the very police who ran towards the scene in Southport” were being “subjected to assault and abuse”.
“It’s not on — especially while our region is still trying to come to terms with Monday’s tragic events,” he said. “These scenes shame our city and those responsible deserve to feel the full weight of the law.”
In Manchester a group gathered, some wearing balaclavas and waving Union Jacks and England flags. Several arrests were made. Some counter-protesters held a march through the city to oppose them.
Part of the city had already experienced disorder earlier in the week when demonstrators targeted a hotel which houses asylum seekers.
Other parts of England also experienced violent protests on Saturday, including Stoke-on-Trent and Hull, where fires were started across the city centre and bins hurled as demonstrators were confronted by a heavy police presence.
Anti-extremism campaign group Hope not Hate said rallies had been planned in more than 30 locations in England and Wales this weekend, according to social media posts.
Scores of arrests have been made across England this week, including more than 100 people detained by police at a rally outside Downing Street.
On Friday night rioters took to the streets of Sunderland in north-east England, setting fire to a building next to a police station, overturning vehicles and hurling projectiles at riot police. Police prevented dozens of rioters from attacking a mosque.
On Friday, Starmer met local government, police and faith leaders in Southport and confirmed a support package to aid bereaved families and community cohesion, including improved access to mental health and psychological services.