Violent riots sparked across UK cities after Southport stabbing of three young girls

Three girls were stabbed at a children's dance class in Southport on Monday and the 17-year-old charged with the murders appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday. The incident sparked protests across the UK but have since turned violent with more than eighty arrests on Saturday, several police officers injured, and reports of arson. Demonstrations are still ongoing with many protesters from far-right and anti-immigration groups. In Portsmouth, for example, protesters were seen some carrying placards with anti-immigration messages and in Hull, protesters threw objects at a hotel housing asylum seekers.

Also in the programme: Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps say Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed with a "short-range projectile" from outside of his guesthouse in Tehran; and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado joined the thousands of people protesting in Venezuela's capital on Saturday against the election results.

Joining presenter Julian Worricker are Francoise Boucek, a visiting research fellow at the School of Politics and International Relations at Queen Mary, University of London and Michael Carson, a British-American writer and broadcaster based in the UK.

(Picture: Protestors throw fireworks as the riots continue into the night in Liverpool, Britain, August 3, 2024. REUTERS/ Belinda Jiao)