Police officers have been injured during “sustained violence” in Plymouth as disorder continued for a seventh day after the Southport stabbings with more than 370 arrests made so far.
Devon and Cornwall Police said six arrests were made in Plymouth on Monday after “several officers” sustained minor injuries and two members of the public were taken to hospital.
It came after bricks and fireworks were launched towards officers who had attempted to keep rival demonstrations apart in the Devon port city.
In Southport, hundreds of people attended a peaceful vigil a week on from the murders of Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Dasilva Aguiar.
Children blew bubbles and others left flowers and heart-shaped balloons on Monday evening in remembrance of the victims of the stabbing attack at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club.
Merseyside Police have since said one child caught up in the incident remained in hospital but all other patients had been discharged.
Sky News reported on Monday that one of its vans was attacked in Birmingham by a “knife-wielding man”.
The news outlet reported that its journalists had observed “a large gathering of Muslim men who said they were preparing to ‘defend’ the street from another rumoured far-right protest in the area.
Safeguarding minister and Birmingham Yardley MP Jess Phillips said perpetrators of violence “will face the consequences no matter who they are”.
In Plymouth, a police van was damaged on Monday evening as masked anti-immigration protesters launched missiles at a counter-demonstration where people held signs saying “No Place for Hate” and “Say No to Nazis”.
(PA Graphics)
A Devon and Cornwall Police officer said “large masonry” had been thrown at officers during the unrest.
Speaking at the scene, Inspector Ryan North Moore told Sky News: “This is not a protest any more. In my opinion, this is violence. This is sustained violence.”
Asked how difficult it was to police the protest, he added: “It’s off the scale today. With the resources we’ve got, it’s difficult.”
Superintendent Russ Dawe said arrests had been made “for a range of public order offences and assaults”.
Acting Chief Constable Jim Colwell said officers had shown “very brave, robust policing” as they responded to “abhorrent, mindless criminal behaviour”.
On Monday, the Prime Minister said a “standing army” of specialist police officers was being assembled to crack down on rioting, as he called for perpetrators to be named and shamed.
Sir Keir Starmer vowed to “ramp up criminal justice” after an emergency Cobra meeting was called following disorder over the weekend which saw rioters storm hotels housing asylum seekers.
The PA news agency understands the Prime Minister’s so-called standing army is an expansion of the existing mutual aid scheme, which allows officers to be deployed around the country as needed.
Sir Keir rejected calls for Parliament to be recalled in the face of the rioting.
The Prime Minister said he was focused on ensuring police can carry out their duties, as MPs from across the political spectrum demanded Parliament return from its summer recess.
Downing Street also criticised X owner Elon Musk for claiming “civil war is inevitable” in the UK, with officials suggesting online misinformation fuelling disorder on Britain’s streets may be being amplified by foreign state actors.
Elon Musk (Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA)
There have been at least 378 arrests since the violence broke out last week, with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) warning the total is expected to rise each day.
Several suspects faced charges in court on Monday as ministers and police chiefs descended on Westminster for the meeting setting out the response for the coming days in a bid to clamp down on further unrest.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley was filmed grabbing a microphone out of a journalist’s hands and throwing it to the ground as he left the emergency meeting on Monday morning.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the courts were on “standby” to ensure “swift justice”.
Although several cases were already in motion, questions were being raised about how quickly this would happen in reality as it emerged some suspects will not face court for weeks.
Staffordshire Police said two people charged over disorder in Stoke-on-Trent on Saturday were not due in court for more than a fortnight, and others accused of being involved in unrest in Bristol are not due to face court until September, Avon and Somerset Police said.
Elsewhere, defendants were brought before magistrates in Belfast, Sheffield, Liverpool and South Tyneside in the latest wave of court appearances.
Judges condemned the “disgraceful” and “large-scale mob violence” while some courts heard that defendants took advantage of the disorder to commit crime.
Organisation Tell Mama, which monitors anti-Muslim attacks, said it had called the police after it “identified more far-right threats on Telegram that seek to target immigration solicitors and refugee services” in more than 30 locations across the country on Wednesday.
Cleveland Police said patrols were being stepped up in Teesside over the coming days amid fears the area could be hit with more violent disorder.
A court heard that police believe more violence linked to planned anti-immigration protests is also likely in Belfast.