Three police officers injured during protests in London following the Southport attack

Aug. 3 () –

At least three police officers have been injured during protests in various parts of London in recent days following the recent knife attack in Southport, where a 17-year-old teenager killed three girls and injured eight others during a dance class.

“The appalling scenes we have witnessed this afternoon in Sunderland are completely unacceptable,” Northumbria Police said in a statement, confirming that “three officers have been taken to hospital for treatment of their injuries.”

One of the three injured police officers was discharged shortly after being admitted, while the remaining two “remain hospitalized for further treatment,” reads a statement shared on Facebook.

During Friday’s protests, demonstrators attacked a police office, setting fire to the neighbouring building, and clashed “at serious and sustained levels of violence” with security forces, throwing cans and stones at the doors of a mosque, according to the British broadcaster BBC.

In light of this “deplorable” situation, local police authorities have advised “citizens to avoid the area while officers deal with the situation.” “We want to make it absolutely clear that the disorder, violence and damage that has occurred will not be tolerated. The safety of citizens is our top priority,” the statement added.

So far, the police have reported eight arrests “for various crimes, including violent disorder and robbery” during the day and have assured that “an exhaustive investigation is being carried out to identify the other perpetrators.”

“The right to protest legally is a key element of any democracy that the police defend. However, we will not accept that people use them as a means to commit crimes,” they said.

However, far from seeing an end to the protests, the campaign group ‘Hope Not Hate’ has reported – and this was reported by the DPA agency – that there are more than 30 protests planned in different parts of British territory for the next two days.

The protests, which have resulted in more than 100 arrests, began in the centre of Southport and also focused in front of the local mosque, although they have spread to other parts of the United Kingdom, such as London.

Several British politicians have accused populist MP Nigel Farage of fuelling the protests by fuelling the rumour that the attacker was a terrorist. The unrest has been compounded by demands by protesters to curb immigration into the country.

British authorities had already reported this week that the perpetrator of the multiple stabbings was originally from Wales. However, false information has been spread on social media suggesting that he was an alleged asylum seeker, leading to violent protests in both Southport and the British capital.

The attack took place at the Hart Space community centre, where the Taylor Swift Yoga and Dance Workshop was being held for children between the ages of seven and eleven. In fact, the American artist published a statement on Tuesday in which she expressed her condolences for what happened.