Rioting thugs 'must not be allowed to win' amid fears of 'many' violent demonstrations

Britain must not let “rioting thugs and extremists win” as towns and cities brace themselves for dark demonstrations of hatred.

Shadow home secretary James Cleverly declared ministers must back police “to do what is necessary to maintain law and order and stop any further escalation”.

Senior officers are on red alert as far-right activists have advertised at least 35 demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday, with some hooligans advocating violence and disorder on social media.

Anti-fascist charity Hope Not Hate told the Daily Express “we are deeply concerned many will become violent”, with mosques set to be targeted across the country.

Shadow home secretary James Cleverly told the Daily Express: "We cannot let rioting thugs and extremists win. The Government must back our police to do what is necessary to maintain law and order and stop any further escalation.”

Influential far-right social media influencers have been sharing online advertisements for demonstrations across the country.

No one group is coordinating the marches and each one is being announced on an “ad hoc basis”, experts believe.

But they are all being influenced by similar people online and organisers are spewing out the same hatred, as they exploit the horrific Southport stabbing atrocity to further their own agendas.

Sources told the Daily Express that they are concerned far-right violence can flare up at any moment because some of those engaging in violence may have been radicalised online – but have not previously met any other extremists in the real world.

Though they may not have planned to carry out an attack, “it only takes one person” to cause chaos, they added.

Professor Matthew Feldman said that within 30 hours of fake news emerging online about the suspect in the Southport stabbings, it had spread across multiple platforms, and sparked protests that led to 53 police officers being hurt.

False reports were circulated on far-right social media channels and networks that the suspect accused of killing three schoolgirls and attempting to murder another eight children and two adults, was a Channel migrant.

But Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, is of Rwandan descent and was born in Cardiff.

Charity Hope Not Hate said in a research report ahead of this weekend: “This looks to be a resurgence of street activism of a kind not seen for years.

“The events are drawing from a common wellspring of anger and often recycle the same slogans – in particular “Enough is Enough”, “Stop the Boats” and “Save Our Children”.

“Whilst Southport was the trigger, most of the planned events are more broadly focused, expressive of a wider hostility to multiculturalism, anti-Muslim and anti-migrant prejudice, as well as a visceral streak of populist anti-Government sentiment.”

Home Office minister Lord Hanson told LBC Radio that forces have the powers under intelligence-led policing to track "people who may be travelling to cause trouble and to cause conspiracy" and to use facial recognition technology and other evidence to bring prosecutions.

He added would-be rioters to "be prepared to face the full force of the law on this criminal activity".

Police chiefs have confirmed they are bolstering patrols but there are concerns in some cities that multiple protests in the same areas may draw officers away from an area, leaving their colleagues outnumbered.

And Britain’s security services are on red alert, monitoring signs extremists may be planning to carry out a terror attack.

Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, NPCC Chair said: “Police will not stand by and let criminals carry out unnecessary violence in our communities.

“I’d like the public to know there is a robust and united response in place across the country, and police chiefs have agreed to step up resourcing this weekend.

“It is our job to be prepared and forces are working together at a local, regional and national level to gather and share intelligence and to make sure we are ready to tackle any violent disorder which might arise.

“Our message to anyone thinking of getting involved in this type of criminality is clear - if you cause violence, you will face the full force of the law and we have the full backing of our criminal justice partners.

“The Prime Minister has also announced new measures to help strengthen our policing capability in this area. Discussions are still in the early stages and we welcome this support and engagement from government.”

Far-right thugs are set to descend on major cities and towns like Leeds, Manchester, Belfast, Hull, Bristol, Nottingham, Liverpool, Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Cardiff, Aldershot, Rotherham, Weymouth, Stoke-on-Trent, Glasgow, Lancaster, Blackburn, Birmingham, Sunderland and Dover.

The knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on Monday which left three girls dead sparked violent disorder in some cities and towns in England.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced a new "national" response to the disorder linking police forces across the country.

Lord Walney, the Government’s independent advisor on protests and political violence, told the Daily Express: “They are riots. I’m hugely concerned by them. It is the last thing these communities want. The vast majority of people in these towns are just appalled and frightened by the level of violence and unrest we are seeing.

“Over the past few years, organisationally, the far-right has been at a relatively low-ebb. This has shown how the ideology and those activists are still there and things can flare up really quickly, particularly in the social media age when channels of communication are so open.

“The legislation passed by the last Government, used often with extreme climate change activists, can be used to stop the far-right ringleaders from exploiting communities.

“We want to see the police using maximum use of that.

“In our understandable desire to protect legitimate protest, we have actually enabled people to use the guise of legitimate protest as a cover for the kind of violent unrest we have seen in recent days. I would like to see the police being clearer that they are not going to be allowed to use the cloak of legitimate protest, when all they really want to do is create a platform for things to kick off.”

Joe Mulhall, Director of Research at HOPE not hate said, said: "More than 30 protests are planned for this coming weekend after violent scenes in Southport.

“Whilst there is no single organiser fronting these protests, all of them are under a broad anti-multiculturalism, anti-Muslim and anti-Government banner.

There's no telling the size and tone of each event but we are deeply concerned that many will turn violent. We are urging the police to make the necessary arrangements to protect communities targeted by the far right - specifically Muslim communities.”

Hundreds of rioters have taken to the streets in London, Hartlepool and Manchester, fuelled by disinformation about the incident and the suspect on social media.

Dozens clashed with the police, throwing beer cans and bottles during a protest in Whitehall. Demonstrators also targeted the statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square.

Police vehicles were also set alight.

A man cried in court as he and his partner admitted joining in the disorder that broke out in Hartlepool on Wednesday night.

Steven Mailen, 54, of Elliott Street, Hartlepool, and Ryan Sheers, 28, of Powlett Street, each admitted a single charge of violent disorder during a series of hearings for seven defendants at Teesside Magistrates' Court.

Paul Doney, prosecuting, said around 200 people gathered on Wednesday in the town centre and police were deployed to maintain order.

The march moved towards mosques and a community centre, Mr Doney said, and officers came under attack from bricks, eggs and other weapons.

Disorder lasted for several hours and a police car was torched, the prosecution said.

Mailen was "constantly in the face of officers" and was gesticulating towards them, shouting, until he was struck on the leg by an officer's extendable baton.

His partner Sheers, who wept during the hearing, was then bitten on the hip by a police dog, the court heard.

He had been trying to push through the police cordon, shouting and refusing to move away.

Five other defendants were remanded in custody to appear before the same court on the same day.

Anthony Allen, 42, of Ormesby Road, Hartlepool, was charged with violent disorder and assaulting an emergency worker.

James Elliott, 41, of Raby Road, Hartlepool, was with him in the dock, charged with violent disorder.

Peter Clark, 47, of no fixed address, appearing separately, was charged with violent disorder and exposure after allegedly showing his buttocks and genitalia to police.

No pleas were entered to any of the charges.

John Barton, 33, of Duke Street, Hartlepool, and Dylan Wiley, 28, of St Catherine's Court, appeared in the dock together at Teesside Magistrates' Court, charged with violent disorder.

Wiley is also charged with possession of an offensive weapon, namely a plank of wood.

Mr Doney, prosecuting, said Barton threw bricks at the police and was arrested after he was bitten by a police dog.

The prosecution said Wylie was caught on body-worn camera footage throwing missiles, shouting at police and threatening to hit them with a large piece of wood.

They denied the charges.

Former Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick, who launched his campaign to be the next Conservative Party leader, said: “I don’t want people to cow in the face of extremists or violence, that not a country I want to live in. Absolutely not. I want the police to do their job and I want the public to respect the police.”

“I want to back the police, I want to ensure that they can take the robust action they need against these individuals and against people like them in all of the incidents we have seen in recent months, right across the country.

“Because I do not want to live in a country where incidents like this, where disturbances are happening, ever again.”