Rioters hurled bricks, bottles, and flares at police, injuring several officers, while they looted and set shops ablaze. Amid the chaos, demonstrators shouted anti-Islamic slurs during clashes with counter-protesters.
In Rotherham, anti-immigration protesters smashed a window at a migrant hotel and ignited a fire just outside after engaging with police at a rally.
Shortly after 2 p.m. on Sunday, some protesters were seen breaking a window of the hotel, with individuals appearing to climb inside. Later, footage captured people setting fire to a bin just outside the shattered window. Although police managed to push back the rioters, the fire continued to burn for some time.
Others stood by, either watching or recording the events for social media. Chants in support of far-right activist Tommy Robinson echoed through the crowd.
Earlier, some demonstrators clad in balaclavas were spotted throwing objects at police near the Holiday Inn in the South Yorkshire city. At least one officer was carried away injured.
UK leader Keir Starmer warned far-right protesters on Sunday that they would “regret” their involvement in England’s worst rioting in 13 years, as unrest linked to the murder of three children earlier in the week persisted for a fifth day.
The disturbances, fueled by misinformation regarding the mass stabbing last Monday in Southport, have spread across multiple towns and cities, resulting in clashes between anti-immigration demonstrators and police.
This violence poses a significant early challenge for Starmer, who was elected just a month ago after leading Labour to a decisive victory over the Conservatives.
“I guarantee you will regret participating in this disorder, whether directly or by inciting action online and then fleeing,” Starmer stated in a television address.
He emphasized that there was “no justification” for the “far-right thuggery” and vowed to bring the offenders “to justice.”
Footage aired on the BBC depicted rioters forcing their way into a Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham, where they pushed a burning bin into the building. It remains unclear whether asylum seekers were inside.
In Middlesbrough, hundreds confronted riot police armed with shields, launching bricks, cans, and pots at the officers.
These latest disturbances followed the arrest of over 90 individuals on Saturday amid skirmishes at far-right rallies in Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Blackpool, Hull, and Belfast.
The violence represents the worst unrest England has experienced since the summer of 2011, when rioting erupted following the police killing of a mixed-race man in north London.
“We’re witnessing trouble spreading across major cities and towns,” remarked Tiffany Lynch of the Police Federation of England and Wales.
Rioting first erupted in Southport on Tuesday night following a violent knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance party the previous day, quickly spreading throughout England.
The unrest was fueled by false rumors on social media concerning the background of the British-born 17-year-old suspect, Axel Rudakubana, accused of killing three young children and injuring ten others.
Police have attributed the violence to supporters and affiliated organizations of the English Defence League, an anti-Islam group founded 15 years ago, whose followers have links to football hooliganism.
Agitators targeted at least two mosques, prompting the UK interior ministry to announce enhanced emergency security measures for Islamic places of worship on Sunday.
The rallies, promoted on far-right social media platforms under the slogan “Enough is Enough,” saw participants waving English and British flags and chanting slogans like “Stop the boats,” referencing irregular migration from France to Britain.
Counter-rallies by anti-fascist demonstrators took place in several cities, including Leeds, where they shouted, “Nazi scum off our streets,” while far-right protesters responded, “You’re not English anymore.”
Not all gatherings descended into violence; a peaceful protest in Aldershot on Sunday featured participants holding placards reading “Stop the invasion” and “We’re not far right, we’re just right.”
“People are fed up with being told they should be ashamed if they’re white and working class. I’m proud to be white and working class,” stated 41-year-old Karina, who chose not to provide her surname, during an AFP interview in Nottingham on Saturday.
