Fanning the Flames

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British police arrested at least 240 people across the United Kingdom over the weekend as violent far-right-led demonstrations erupted in various cities, unrest fueled by misinformation about a deadly attack in the country’s northwest in which three children were killed, the Washington Post reported.

Protests and counter-protests took place in towns and cities, including Liverpool, Sunderland and Belfast, which escalated into violence. Some demonstrators threw stones at police outside a mosque in Sunderland, while in Liverpool a community center for low-income individuals was set on fire.

The demonstrations began last week after three children were stabbed to death and several others injured when their dance class in the northwestern town of Southport was attacked, with a 17-year-old since arrested for the spree. Shortly after the attack, online misinformation claimed that the alleged perpetrator was an illegal immigrant and a Muslim, prompting anti-immigration protests and violence across the country, including outside the prime minister’s office in London, according to Bloomberg.

Authorities later released the suspect’s name as Axel Rudakubana, a UK-born citizen of Rwandan heritage. He has been charged with murder and attempted murder.

Even so, far-right and anti-immigrant groups have continued their protests, with some defenders of immigration saying the demonstrations underscore a broader hostility toward multiculturalism and anti-migrant sentiment.

The newly-elected Labour government of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has condemned the unrest, with Policing and Crime Minister Diana Johnson describing it as “criminal disorder.”

Politicians also blamed social media platforms, such as X (formerly Twitter), for facilitating the spread of misinformation and relaxed content restrictions. Starmer warned social media firms they need to enforce laws against the incitement of violence, which in the UK apply to online content hosted by platforms.