Violent crowd clashes with UK police after young girls killed in stabbing

A large crowd of anti-Muslim protesters clashed with police on Tuesday in a northern English town where three girls were stabbed to death and five other children critically wounded during an attack on a Taylor Swift-themed event on Monday.

The horrific stabbing incident in Southport, a quiet seaside town north of Liverpool, has shocked the nation. Police have said it was not linked to terrorism and that the suspect was born in the UK.

Yet far-right groups have stoked speculation that the teenage suspect was involved with Islam, and police said Tuesday’s violence erupted when several hundred people began to throw items at a mosque. Police linked the crowd to the English Defence League, a group which has sometimes staged violent demonstrations against Islam.

Police vehicles were damaged and set alight, officers were pelted by bricks and large garbage containers. One video posted online showed the crowd chanting “we want our country back”.

Away from the violence, hundreds had gathered for an emotional vigil to pay tribute to those killed in the attack, laying flowers and toys.