UK: Clashes erupt amid 'speculation' over Southport attack

Dozens of protesters clashed with police on Tuesday in the northern English town of Southport, where three children were killed in a stabbing attack a day earlier.

Crowds of people hurled bottles and stones at officers and set a police van on fire outside a mosque.

At least 22 officers were injured in the unrest, police said. 

A 17-year-old suspect, who was only identified by police as a teenager from Wales, was arrested over Sunday's attack. But false information spread online that the attacker was an asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK by boat.

What's behind the unrest in Southport?

According to police, the violent crowds were supporters of the far-right group English Defence League.

Police said "speculation" about the identity of the arrested suspect motivated the unrest, adding that some people were using the rumors "to bring violence and disorder to our streets."

British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper decried the "thuggery" of rioters, saying the scenes of Tuesday's violence were "a total disgrace."

"The scenes of thuggery... bear no relation to the way in which the Southport community has been coming together to support each other and to support grieving families," she told British broadcasters.

Cooper told lawmakers earlier that she had called on social media companies to "take some responsibility" for the speculation in the aftermath of the attack.

The violence broke out on Tuesday shortly after a stream of people were paying tribute to the victims in Southport.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer laid flowers at the site of the attack, and said the said the tragedy "touches a nerve" with the whole country.

"I came here to pay my respects to the victims and families who are going through raw pain and grief that most of us can't imagine — I can't imagine, as a dad myself."

Some bystanders hackled Starmer, with one shouting: "How many more people will die on our streets, prime minister?"

The three girls killed in the attack were aged 6, 7 and 9. Eight other children and two adults were injured.

They were all attending a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga event for children at a local community center.