British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said those responsible for violence that left police officers injured in protests outside a mosque after a mass stabbing that left three children dead in Southport would “face the full force of the law”.

Southport, a small seaside town near Liverpool in northwestern England, was reeling on Wednesday after clashes targeting a local mosque “insulted the community as it grieves”, Starmer said.

Some 39 officers were injured, at least eight seriously, after a large group — believed to be supporters of the far-right English Defence League — threw bricks at a local mosque and set cars on fire late on Tuesday, the local police and ambulance service said.

Around 100 people battled police in riot gear and lit fires, according to an AFP reporter at the scene.

The violence broke out shortly after a vigil was held in the town centre, where hundreds fell silent in tribute to the victims of the mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed event that also left five children and two adults critically injured.

Police have said they are not treating Monday’s knife attack as terror-related, but have not released any details of the suspected attacker other than that he is 17 years old and born in the Welsh capital Cardiff. His parents were from Rwanda, according to the BBC.

Misinformation

“There has been much speculation and hypothesis around the status of a 17-year-old male … and some individuals are using this to bring violence and disorder to our streets,” Assistant Police Chief Alex Goss said after the clashes.

He said the violence had involved “many people who do not live in the Merseyside area or care about the people of Merseyside”.

Hours after Monday’s attack, social media was filled with posts spreading unverified information about the suspect’s background.

Far-right influencer Andrew Tate had posted a video on social media, viewed by nearly 15 million people, blaming the stabbing on an “illegal migrant”.

Speaking to parliament before the clashes, interior minister Yvette Cooper said it was “extremely important that people don’t spread damaging misinformation online”.

Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram said that “haters” would not prevail in Southport.

“We’re known for our solidarity, people in our region will stick together, the community will rebuild,” Rotheram told AFP.

Town in shock

Nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar died in hospital early on Tuesday, police said. Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, died on Monday.

Police said the two wounded adults had been trying to protect the children. Tributes have been paid to the bravery of dance and yoga teacher Leanne Lucas, who was one of the wounded adults.

US pop star Swift said she was “completely in shock” over “the loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone”.

Aguiar was the daughter of Portuguese parents from Madeira. “Her parents are in a state of shock,” Portugal’s communities minister Jose Cesario told AFP.

Her family said in a tribute: “Keep smiling and dancing like you love to do our princess.”

Residents of the seaside town said they were struggling to come to terms with the deaths.

“You can feel in the air that it’s affected the whole town. We’re just a small little town, everyone knows everyone,” mental health nurse Katy Watkinson told AFP.

Sara Taylor, a Southport resident from Portugal used to see Alice Aguiar at the local Portuguese shop.

“When I first saw her picture … I just felt a chill down my spine,” she said.