NIGHT OF CARNAGE
Police station in flames after Sunderland rioters torch cars & injure cops days after Southport stabbing – as 8 arrested
Footage shows violent yobs squaring up to officers during intense scenes of carnage
A POLICE station erupted into flames last night after rioting thugs torched cars and attacked cops in another night of carnage sparked by the Southport stabbing.
Eight people were arrested and three police officers taken to hospital after the outburst of terrifying violence in Sunderland city centre.
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Sunderland and Central Police station was torched by violent yobs as darkness fell on the city.
The latest night of carnage was sparked by the horrific stabbings of three young girls killed in a rampage at a Taylor Swift dance class in Southport on Monday.
Similar violent riots broke out in Hartlepool and London on Wednesday, with more than 100 arrested on Whitehall.
Police are on red alert ahead of up to 15 far-right protests this weekend.
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During last night's rampage, thugs ransacked a police station as firefighters worked amid carnage to dampen the flames.
Glass could be heard smashing behind giant plumes of smoke as flames towered over looting thugs.
In other terrifying scenes an army of rioters lashed out at an Uber taxi with the driver still inside, sending him fleeing for safety before thugs flipped and torched it.
Masked looters were spotted using the chaos as an opportunity to plunder shops - kicking in windows to grab at wares.
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Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson said staff are working around the clock to bring rioting thugs to justice.
Chief Superintendent Helena Barron, who led the policing operation, condemned the violence.
She said: "The shocking scenes we have witnessed in Sunderland this evening are completely unacceptable. I want to make it absolutely clear that the disorder, violence and damage which has occurred will not be tolerated.
"The safety of the public is our utmost priority and when we became aware that a protest had been planned, we ensured there was an increased policing presence in the city. During the course of the evening those officers were met with serious and sustained levels of violence, which is utterly deplorable.
"In the face of these attacks, they showed unwavering commitment for which I wholeheartedly thank them, as I am certain the overwhelming majority of people in Sunderland will also.
"We can confirm that three officers were taken to hospital for treatment of injuries. One has since been discharged with the other two remaining in hospital for further treatment."
She revealed eight people had been arrested for "a range of offences, including violent disorder and burglary".
Footage from Sunderland shared earlier on Friday evening showed thugs in balaclavas and hoods squaring up to cops and lobbing flares, horse manure and beer cans.
Other yobs were spotted hurling bricks, while a group of five men gathered around a 10ft metal pole to launch it at individual cops like a battering ram.
One thug fell over with the weight of a large wooden slat as he staggered towards riot cops, before wielding it around to launch it towards the line of defence.
Rioters were heard yelling racist slurs and far-right chants in chilling footage.
A police officer deployed to keep order said: ";That was bad tonight. I feel really bad for the council.
"They've spent all this money doing up the new square for this to happen."
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Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: "Criminals attacking the police and stoking disorder on our streets will pay the price for their violence and thuggery.
"The police have the full backing of government to take the strongest possible action and ensure they face the full force of the law.
"They do not represent Britain."
Education Secretary and Sunderland MP Bridget Phillipson said: "The scenes in our city centre tonight are shocking."
Phillipson added: "We have seen unforgiveable violence and thuggery.
";The criminals involved in this appalling disorder must be identified, prosecuted, and punished with the full force of the law.
"Sunderland is better than this and these thugs do not represent our city."
Sunderland AFC said blasted "shameful scenes".
A spokesman added: "Tonight’s shameful scenes do not represent our culture, our history, or our people.
"Our great city is built on togetherness and acceptance, and Sunderland will forever be for all.
"We are stronger as one community. Now. Then. Always."
It comes after an 11-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of arson after a police car was set alight during riots in nearby Hartlepool on Wednesday night.
This is the only thing that I will write, but please stop the violence in Southport tonight. The police have been nothing but heroic these last 24 hours and they and we don't need this
Jenni Stancombe
Shocking footage showed a blaze tear through a cop car amid violence in the Teesside town.
The first riots were this week sparked by speculation about the Southport attacker's identity, as rumours swelled online he was a migrant.
Cops stressed the suspect was born in Cardiff before a judge ruled to reveal the 17-year-old's identity in an effort to quell unrest.
Axel Muganwa Rudakubana was named on Wednesday as the teen charged over the knife attack in the Merseyside town, as the judge lifted reporting restrictions just days before his 18th birthday.
Under 18s have an automatic right to anonymity in UK courts.
Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar were knifed to death in the mass stabbing in Southport.
Elsie's mum this week condemned the riots and urged protesters to stop.
Jenni Stancombe said: "This is the only thing that I will write, but please stop the violence in Southport tonight.
"The police have been nothing but heroic these last 24 hours and they and we don't need this."
Eight other children suffered stab wounds in the horror attack on Monday, with five in a stable condition in hospital along with two adults.
Rudakubana, 17, rocked back and forth in the dock as he appeared at Liverpool Crown Court charged with three counts of murder.
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He is also accused of ten counts of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article - a curved kitchen knife used in the attack.
The prosecution said he had an "autism spectrum disorder diagnosis" and had been "unwilling to leave the house and communicate with family for a period of time".
COMMENT: Social media giants to blame for fake news that sparked shameful riots
By Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Centre for Countering Digital Hate
IN moments of crisis and tragedy, it’s second nature for us to go on to social media to look for the latest information.
After we heard the first shocking reports that children had been stabbed in Southport, we went to social media to try and find out the truth – who did this and why?
But the problem with our reliance on social media as a source of information is that all platforms are designed in ways that show us lies first and the truth last.
Journalists working for a newspaper or broadcaster try to tell us what they can prove, which can be unclear in the immediate wake of a tragedy.
Social media platforms, instead, look at how much engagement their posts get.
That’s because they don’t actually care about the value to society of that information, rather the value to them.
Before anyone could report the truth in Stockport, selfish and cynical losers were using social media to exploit this tragedy and push hateful lies.
With zero evidence, they claimed that Muslims were behind the attack and that the police were hiding the truth.
And they know that the more outrageous the lie, the more people will see it.
The consequences were plain to see, as gangs of thugs descended on Southport, shamefully using the deaths of three young girls to whip up hate and attack the police.
Let’s be clear, social media companies are to blame. They let people break their rules with impunity.
The reason they do this is simple: hate and lies are big business for social media.
That’s how the truth loses, and the lies of extremists and weirdos enter the mainstream.
Social media companies pretend this is complicated, but the basic solutions are simple.
First, we need to force these companies to come clean on how their algorithms boost dangerous lies.
Second, we need to hold them accountable with fines and penalties.
American social media giants are to blame for this chaos. It's them, not the people of Southport, who should be paying for the cleanup and coppers’ medical bills.
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