LONDON   -   Police and protesters squared off in several UK cities in the latest round of unrest fueled by the far right following a stabbing attack in northwest England this week. Since the stabbing incident in Southport, which saw three children killed during a Taylor Swift-themed yoga class, tensions have been ratcheting up across UK cities.

Far-right activists have been accused of using social media platforms to spread disinformation, most notably falsely claiming that the Southport attacker was an immigrant who had arrived in the UK illegally. UK police have confirmed that the 17-year-old attacker, Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, was born in the Welsh capital of Cardiff, taking the unusual step of naming him despite being under 18.

Police in Liverpool said a number of officers had been injured dealing with “serious disorder” on Saturday. Videos posted on social media showed crowds of anti-immigrant protesters assembled along the city’s riverside, shouting slogans, such as “Stop the Boats” – a reference to the dinghies used by asylum seekers to cross the English Channel to the UK mainland. In the UK’s third largest city, Manchester, crowds of protesters marched through the city center carrying placards with slogans, such as “Save our Kids.” They were also met by a counter-protest of anti-racism campaigners who carried signs with slogans, saying “No to Fascism and No to Racism.”

Riot police were deployed to the Northern Irish capital Belfast on Saturday, after protesters set off projectiles and fireworks near the City Hall. Tense exchanges took place between the far-right demonstrators and protesters involved in a pro-Palestinian counter-protest.

One woman from the counter-protest was injured after a firework exploded next to her, the Irish national broadcaster RTÉ reported.

Belfast’s anti-immigrant protest managed to unite protesters from two of the region’s traditionally most divided groups, Unionists and Nationalists. Anti-immigrant protesters from both communities gathered together in significant numbers on Saturday, brandishing both English and Irish national flags and anti-immigrant placards.

Stand-offs were reported at several other cities and follow similar incidents this week. Anti-racism charity Hope Not Hate estimated as many as 35 protests were due to take place on Saturday and Sunday under a “broad anti-multiculturalism, anti-Muslim and anti-Government agenda.”

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today program on Friday, Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council Gavin Stephens said police chiefs had agreed to “step up resourcing” over the weekend.

“We will have surge capacity in our intelligence, in our briefing, and in the resources that are out in local communities.”

In a statement issued Friday, the Muslim Council of Britain urged mosques to be vigilant and strengthen security measures following “deeply disturbing scenes of mobs targeting mosques in Southport and Hartlepool.”