Plymouth: ‘Sustained violence’ against police officers as bricks and fireworks are thrown | UK News

Several police officers were injured and a police van was damaged as rival protest groups clashed in Plymouth.

Crowds were kept apart by lines of riot police, and violence erupted as protesters threw rocks and fireworks.

The problem centered on a crowd of anti-immigration protesters who tried for several hours to confront a Stand Up To Racism counter-demonstration.

Since a fatal knife attack in Southport last weekgroups with links to the far right took to the streets in towns and cities across England.

They engaged in repeated and violent clashes with the police, separating them from counter-protesters, throwing missiles, damaging buildings and looting stores.

Latest UK riots: Riot police deployed between rival protest groups in Plymouth

Hundreds of people have been arrested so far in riots targeting mosques in UK cities.

Several police officers were injured in the port city after far-right protesters broke through police lines.

The disorder was described by a senior police officer as “sustained violence”.

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Speaking to Sky News’ west of England correspondent Dan Whitehead, the brass commander of Devon and Cornwall Police said: “This is no longer a protest. In my opinion, this is violence. This is sustained violence.”

Inspector Ryan Northmore added: “Unfortunately, large brickworks were thrown at us. Whether they were directed at us, or at others, or at opposing groups, we still don’t know.”

Fireworks were also launched by the far-right crowd at the counter-protest group, along with bottles and bricks.

Throughout the night, members of the far-right group roamed the street trying to find holes in the police lines.

Meanwhile, Stand Up To Racism protesters largely remained in place.

Devon and Cornwall Police said overnight that “arrests are ongoing” after they were met with “a level of violence”.

Later that night, police attempted to push back far-right protesters as they worked on multiple fronts to contain the groups.

Six people were arrested, with police saying: “People who intended to commit crimes against public order or crimes have been and will be dealt with firmly.

“This is the style of policing we deliver and what our communities expect.”

The Plymouth MP said the violence does not represent the area.

Luke Pollard, who is also Minister for the Armed Forces, said in a video on X that “there is absolutely no place for violence on our streets”.

He added: “Plymouth is a brilliant place to live, work and play. The diversity of our city makes us stronger – it doesn’t make us weaker.

“That’s not what Plymouth is about – that’s not who we are. Thank you to the police for keeping us safe, to the city council services to the local businesses who have taken steps to reassure people, to keep them safe.”

Sky News crew confronted in Birmingham

Meanwhile, in Birmingham, news spread among the Muslim community that a far-right protest had been planned in the city.

A community activist told Sky News that local men planned to confront them.

As Sky News’ Becky Johnson attempted to report the incidentthe crew was told by a group of men to leave.

Despite assurances from the older men, the situation became more hostile and as they left, a man wearing a balaclava was stabbed in the tire of his transmission van.

First protesters at the court

After hundreds of recent arrests, the first group of people involved in the riots appeared in court.

The youngest of those who appeared in court was a 14-year-old boy who cannot be identified for legal reasons.

He said he understood how “silly and foolish” he had been after pleading guilty to violent disorder caused by the Liverpool city center riots, a court heard.

Liverpool Magistrates’ Court heard that the teenager, from Liverpool, was part of a group of eight to 12 men who lit fireworks and fired them at members of the public and police officers near a B&M branch in Clayton Square that had it was already looted on Saturday night.

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Knife attack in Southport

Violence and unrest ensue the knife attack at a Taylor Swift themed dance class which left three girls dead.

They were named six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar.

Axel Rudakubana, 17, was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.

Police said he was from the nearby village of Banks in Lancashire but was born in Cardiff, Wales.

Following the incident, misinformation spread online, claiming he had come to the UK on a small boat.

Anti-immigration groups used this as fuel for protests, which quickly turned violent and devolved into ongoing episodes of disorder.

When violence broke out in Plymouth on Monday night, in Southport a week later a tribute was held for the victims.