Protest at Guildhall Square in Portsmouth after Southport children killed at Taylor Swift dance class

A large gathering formed in the city centre at 10am. One poster shared on social media, advertising the city centre protest, said: “We call on British patriots, stand with us, stop the boats, save our kids.” Some attendees performed speeches to the crowd, including Reform UK candidate for Portsmouth North Melvyn Todd. Another gathering, shared on social media, called for people to gather at Foxes Forest Car Park in Hilsea. The News understands that officers have been at the scene for over an hour, with no individuals attending - believing it to be a decoy.

One eyewitness said a counter demonstration formed, with verbal exchanges taking place between both groups and one chase taking place. Pictures show some individuals a holding flag with the slogan “Save British youth, Christ is king and stop mass immigration”. It is branded by the Youth Alliance, a far-right nationalist group.

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Placards and flowers were laid on the steps, with messages such as “save our children” and “Starm scum”, referring to prime minister Sir Keir Starmer. A Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary spokesman said “no incidents have been raised from the protest in Portsmouth this morning”.

Assistant Chief Constable Paul Bartolomeo said patrol plans are being reviewed throughout the day to ensure officers are in the right places to reassure residents. “This is all part of our local policing model, where we are able to respond quickly to the needs of our communities,” he added.

“Our role is to protect people’s lawful right to protest, while also preventing serious disorder and disruption to the local community. This is what happened on Wednesday evening and our specialist teams, who are very experienced in policing protests and managing that balance, were able to take swift and decisive action when a small number of people began committing criminal offences.

“It is totally unacceptable to turn that lawful right into criminal acts and this will not be tolerated in Hampshire and Isle of Wight. As we have shown this week, we will take action against those who commit criminal offences, using all investigative tactics available to us. Everyone has the right to free speech and peaceful protest. However, officers will take a robust stance against those who choose to act outside of the law.”

Violence broke out at in Aldershot this week, with people throwing objects and shouting racist abuse outside a hotel housing migrants. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said a minority of the 200 people who gathered outside the Potters International Hotel became involved in the disruption on Wednesday evening. Eight people are being sought by officers in connection to the incident, with one already being identified.

Demonstrations also turned ugly in Sunderland yesterday, with officers being attacked and a police station being set on fire. Protests were initially held in Southport, with violence disrupting a vigil for the three children killed in a knife attack in the town. The BBC reports that far-right activists have had a hand in organising many of the protests this week, with police forces identifying the English Defence League (EDL) as a major factor. People associated themselves with the group on social media despite it being disbanded. It is unclear whether organised far-right activism played a role in the Portsmouth protests, although members of the Youth Alliance were present.

Why are people protesting?

Demonstrations started after three children were stabbed to death at a Taylor Swift themed dance class in Southport, Merseyside, on Monday. Two of the girls, Bebe King, aged six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, aged seven, were pronounced dead shortly after the incident, while Alice Dasilva Aguiar, aged nine, died during the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, 17, has been charged with three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and one count of possessing a curved kitchen knife. The Cardiff-born teenager was named following a decision from Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary KC. He is due to turn 18 this week.

Thousands of people turned out to pay their respects to the victims at a vigil in the town on Tuesday evening, but violence later erupted outside a mosque in the town which led to 53 police officers and eight dogs being injured. Eight people have since been arrested.