Riots erupted Friday evening for a third night in the United Kingdom, linked to a mass stabbing earlier in the week that killed three young girls.

Several hundred people rampaged in Sunderland's city center, in northeast England, attacking police and setting fire to buildings and vehicles.

Broadcaster Sky News reported that around 30 other protests — mostly organized by far-right groups — were planned across the UK this weekend. Several anti-racism counterprotests are also expected.

How did the violence in Sunderland unfold?

An anti-immigrant protest began around 7 p.m. local time (1800 UTC/GMT) in Sunderland's Keel Square, to the north of the city center, under the title Enough is Enough.

The Sunderland Echo newspaper described how crowds of demonstrators, many wearing balaclavas, waved England flags as they set off on their march, which quickly got out of hand.

During the subsequent riots, a police station was set on fire and an overturned car was set ablaze.

Youths threw bricks and other missiles at officers as fireworks and flares were let off, local media reported.

Around the same time, a stand-off unfolded between police and protesters outside a nearby mosque.

Some of the crowd shouted insults about Islam, while others chanted in support of Tommy Robinson, a far-right, anti-Islam campaigner and activist, local media reported.

A priest at Sunderland Minster said yobs tried to smash a gravestone to use as missiles, adding
that they were guilty of "an act of sacrilege."

Eight people were arrested for offenses such as violent disorder and burglary and three police officers were taken to hospital for treatment for injuries.

Sunderland Central MP Lewis Atkinson said a link could be drawn between the disorder and the ashes of the English Defence League (EDL), which was founded in 2009 by Robinson, but has since disbanded. The EDL's supporters remain active.

A similar anti-immigration protest and counterdemonstration took place in the northwestern English city of Liverpool, near one of the city's mosques. Liverpool lies close to Southport, where Monday's stabbings took place.

The UK Home Secretary (Interior Minister) Yvette Cooper vowed the rioters would "pay the price for their violence and thuggery," and called on the police to "take the strongest possible action and ensure they face the full force of the law."

Southport mass stabbing sparked several nights of riots

The Sunderland riots marked a third night of violence in response to Monday's mass stabbing at a dance studio in Southport, a seaside town in northwest England.

Three children were killed in the knife attack, and ten other people – eight of whom were children – were injured.

A 17-year-old boy has been charged with several offenses, including the girls' murder, which happened during a Taylor Swift-themed workshop.

Since the Southport attack, far-right social media channels have been awash with false claims that the suspect was an asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK by boat.

Police have emphasized that the suspect, Axel Rudakubana, was born in Britain.

He was remanded to a youth detention center and will next appear in court in October.

Violent incidents erupted in the following days in Southport, the northeastern town of Hartlepool, and London in reaction to the killings.

On Friday, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who took office less than a month ago, paid a second visit to Southport to meet with local leaders.

Starmer has promised a new "national" response to the disorder, linking police forces across the country through shared intelligence and the expanded use of facial recognition.

Security stepped up in case of weekend violence

Police forces nationwide said they were prepared for more far-right rallies and counterdemonstrations over the weekend.

London's Metropolitan Police said it had a "proportionate and risk-based" plan as pro-Palestinian and anti-immigration protests were held in the UK capital.

Greater Manchester Police said a dispersal notice had been authorized for the city center to deal with planned demonstrations on Saturday.

Around 150 people carrying St George's flags shouting, "You're not English anymore" and "pedo Muslims off our street" were greatly outnumbered in Leeds by hundreds of counterprotesters shouting "Nazi scum off our streets."

Police in Southport said they had "extensive plans and considerable police resources" on hand to deal with any disorder this weekend.

Police also mounted a significant security operation in Belfast city center, after a small group of anti-Islamic protesters gathered at the front of City Hall, chanting "Islam Out."

Mosques across the country have also been put on an increased state of alert, the Muslim Council of Britain said.

mm/rmt (AFP, dpa, Reuters)