Eight people have been arrested in Sunderland for offences including violent disorder and burglary after rioting and disorder took place in parts of the UK. Three police officers were injured and taken to hospital during the unrest. A building was set on fire, a car was overturned and set alight, and protesters wearing balaclavas and draped in the England flag clashed with police in the city center and at a nearby mosque.
The protests, promoted by far-right activists on social media, started at Keel Square and escalated quickly. The protesters threw stones at police, chanted Islamophobic slogans, and caused chaos in the streets. The home secretary, Yvette Cooper, condemned the violence and stated that those involved would face the full force of the law.
The riots were fueled in part by misinformation on social media about a recent knife attack in Southport. Extra prosecutors were deployed to handle any further outbreaks of violence across the country. North East mayor Kim McGuinness and Sunderland Central MP Lewis Atkinson both expressed shock and disappointment at the events in Sunderland, emphasizing that the criminal behavior did not represent the values of the city or the region.
Other planned protests across the UK aimed to spread anti-multiculturalism, anti-Muslim, and anti-government sentiments. In Liverpool, far-right protesters were outnumbered by anti-fascist groups, and the protests were largely peaceful. Hope Not Hate reported that up to 35 protests were scheduled to take place in different cities over the weekend.
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