Disinformation and tensions as Southport 'anti-Islam riots' spread across UK

Anti-Muslim riots spread in the UK on Wednesday night following concerns over "disinformation" surrounding the suspect in the killing of three children in Southport on Monday being spread by far-right or other agents.

A police car was set alight in Hartlepool, North East England, on Wednesday with missiles thrown at police injuring a number of officers and seeing eight people arrested, the BBC reported, while more than 100 were arrested following violence in London on the same day.

Two people were also arrested following violence at a demonstration in Manchester, while unrest was reported in other parts of the UK.

It follows riots outside a mosque in Southport hours after the killing of three girls and the injuring of eight other children in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift dance party on Monday.

One 17-year-old has been detained with reporting measures surrounding the suspect due to his age this week sparking rumours and false information online, particularly regarding his alleged religious affiliation.

Some have accused far-right provocateurs and foreign agents of deliberately misleading the public to stir up tensions.

Police and others have said far-right activists from outside the region might have been partially responsible for sparking anti-Islam violence in Southport, which saw dozens of officers injured and a police van set alight.

A judge at an initial hearing in the murder case lifted reporting restrictions allowing media to report the suspect's name - Axel Rudakubana - which might help dispel s0me of the rumours.

Alex Gross, Merseyside assistant chief constable, said in a statement before the suspect was named: "There has been much speculation and hypothesis around the status of a 17-year-old male who is in police custody and some individuals are using this to bring violence and disorder to our streets.

"We have already said that the person arrested was born in the UK and speculation helps nobody at this time."

Merseyside Police said they believe the English Defence League, led by far-right activist Tommy Robinson, could be behind the unrest, a group which regularly holds anti-Islam rallies.

False information about the suspect has led to far-right rallies outside mosques and anti-Islam rhetoric, although there is no indication that Rudakubana is Muslim.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that while peaceful protest has to be protected but "criminals who exploit that right in order to sow hatred and carry out violent acts will face the full force of the law".

Former Security Minister Stephen McPartland suggested Russia could be responsible for some of the online misinformation, amid dozens of arrests of right-wing rioters and protesters in Southport, London, and other UK towns and cities.

"Disinformation to undermine democracy is a huge part of the Russian playbook and just in May the British government expelled a Russian defence attache and accused the Russian Federal Security Service [FSB] of systemic malign cyberattacks aimed at undermining democracy," he told The Independent.

"The tragic events in Southport are being mobilised by hostile states to stir up hatred and division instead of letting the community grieve. We need much more cyber-resilience throughout our whole society and economy to defend democracy."