Riots broke out in the British city of Southport after the murder of three children in a dance studio, who were stabbed to death by a 17-year-old teenager, The Guardian reports.
According to the newspaper, the protesters at the local mosque are right—wing activists from, presumably, the "English Defense League." They threw glass bottles and bricks at the police. One of the law enforcement officers had his nose broken. Protesters set fire to and damaged police cars. In response, the officers fired tear gas.
The police noted that in social networks there is a lot of speculation about the origin and religion of the attacker.
On suspicion of assault, a 17-year-old boy who lives in the city of Banks, next to Southport, was arrested. He attacked three children with a knife, his motives are still unknown. It is assumed that he acted alone. Girls of nine, six and seven years old were killed, eight more children were stabbed, five of them are in critical condition. Two more adults were seriously injured.
According to the chief constable of the Merseyside County Police, Serena Kennedy, the children were at an event dedicated to singer Taylor Swift at a dance school when a suspect with a knife entered the premises and attacked the crowd.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the attack "truly terrible," RBC said.