Met Police reveal 111 arrests during Whitehall riots over Southport mass stabbing that saw bottles, flares and fists rain down on officers
The Met Police have revealed 111 arrests were made during Whitehall riots over the Southport mass stabbing - that saw bottles, flares and fists rain down on officers.
The arrests were made for offences including violent disorder, assaults on police officers, possession of knives and offensive weapons and breach of protest conditions.
Around 1,000 protesting yobs were condemned by the force as 'shameful' - as they accused them of exploiting the tragedy 'for their own violence and criminality'.
It came as Britain was engulfed in riots for the second night in a row, with thugs torching police cars and clashing with cops in Hartlepool and Manchester.
False speculation online that the suspect is an asylum seeker who had travelled to the UK on a boat appears to be fuelling the shocking violence which started outside a mosque in Southport on Tuesday and spread across the UK last night.
The misinformation is believed to have originated from a Russian-linked fake news website.
Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said: 'Last night our officers faced unacceptable scenes of disorder and violence, as others across the country have done in recent days.
LONDON: Violence erupted on the streets of the capital as flag-waving protesters clashed with police
LONDON: Protesters were seen wearing t-shirts with the faces of the three Southport victims on. That's despite families of the victims calling for the violence to stop
LONDON: A furious protester lifts up the mask of a riot policeman's helmet amid growing tensions
SOUTHPORT: Locals have called on rioters to leave their town after Tuesday night's violence
'They acted with great courage and the highest levels of professionalism in the face of hateful behaviour.
'All our thoughts should be with the victims and families of those impacted by the most dreadful attack in Southport. It is shameful that some have sought to exploit this tragedy as justification for their own violence and criminality.
'There is absolutely no place for this on our streets. We will ensure that anyone involved in any violent disorder and criminal behaviour will be stopped, arrested and will face justice.'
The teenager accused of murdering three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport appeared in court today accused of murdering of six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar.
He is also accused of the attempted murders of eight more children, along with dance teacher Leanne Lucas, 35, and businessman John Hayes.
The suspect, from Banks in Lancashire, was remanded into youth detention accommodation and will appear at Liverpool Crown Court later today.
Southport locals - including Elsie's mother - have called for the violence to stop after police vans were set on fire and bricks were hurled in violence that left 53 officers injured on Tuesday.
But her wishes were ignored as angry mobs took to the streets - in other parts of the country - amid mounting anger. Many were filled with anti-migrant rhetoric.
LONDON: Protesters hold a Union Jack banner which says: 'Enough is enough. Stop the boats.' They were also wearing t-shirts with the faces of the three girls who died in Southport
LONDON: Police officers detain a demonstrator during a protest against illegal immigration outside of Downing Street
LONDON: A protester draped in a Union Jack flag was seen mounting a traffic light in front of an army of riot police officers
LONDON: Protesters drinking Stella Artois march through the capital on Wednesday night
LONDON: People attending the 'Enough is Enough' protest in Whitehall, London, following the fatal stabbing of three children
London's 'Enough is Enough' protest marked the largest gathering of thugs in the UK this week.
Yobs took to the streets chanting the name of English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson and yelled 'stop the boats'.
Riot police were also pelted with glass bottles in Manchester, after protesters targeted a Holiday Inn hotel where migrants are believed to be housed.
The most chaotic riots, however, were seen in Hartlepool where thugs were seen throwing objects at riot police, striking their shields and setting a police car on fire.
One person was live streaming the chaos when an Asian man was punched by a thug as he tried to walk past in what appeared to be a racially-motivated assault.
In Manchester, shocking footage emerged of a group of thugs, some masked, throwing bottles at riot police vans and officers. It is understood they were targeting a hotel where migrants are being housed.
The most large-scale clashes took place in the capital, however, as riot police were forced to fend off a group of flag-waving thugs on Whitehall.
Some protesters were wearing t-shirts with the faces of the Southport victims on - despite families calling for an end to the violence.
LONDON: Hundreds of protesters gather on Whitehall - days after the Southport knife rampage
LONDON: Met Police officers clash with protesters as ugly scenes break out in Whitehall on Wednesday
LONDON: Police officers were forced to put on riot gear as they try to deal with the breakouts of violence
Police were forced to put on riot gear after chanting activists threw cans and launched flares outside Downing Street.
Around 1,000 right-wing activists descended on Whitehall last night, with some waving a Union Jack flag banner with the words: 'Enough is enough. Stop the boats.'
Huge scuffles between police and protesters broke out, with officers wrestling activists to the ground and leading them away in handcuffs after they tried to breach police lines.
Loud chants of 'Oh Tommy Robinson' and 'we want our country back' were also heard as protesters surrounded The Cenotaph, despite police vans trying to protect the war memorial on Whitehall.
