Lauren Laverne left 'heartbroken' for home city of Sunderland after riot outbreak linked to Southport attack
Lauren Laverne expressed her heartbreak for her hometown of Sunderland
PA
Lauren Laverne recently took to her Instagram account to express her heartbreak for her hometown of Sunderland after dozens of demonstrations were planned over the weekend in towns and cities around the country.
The riots come after three children were killed in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class and left five other children in critical condition in hospital with stab injuries.
On Thursday, the suspect behind the Southport attack was named for the first time as 17-year-old Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, after the judge at Liverpool Crown Court lifted reporting restrictions.
Tensions remain high across the country as the riots continue to break out, leaving Laverne - who is known for presenting on The One Show and BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs - to express her devastation about the ongoing events.
She posted an image of six red letters reading "SUN LUN" on her Instagram and captioned the image: "Heartbroken for my hometown last night. Sending love and solidarity to everyone beginning the cleanup today. Pic via @poprecs #sunderland."
Many fans of Laverne quickly flocked to the comment section of the post, with one noting: "Still can't get over what happened, but for anyone that thinks the people last night represent Sunderland and the northeast in general. They could not be more wrong."
"Heartbreaking for the people of this warm place. I just don’t understand why," another added before someone else said: "Huge amount of love in town today. People out in droves to tidy up and support each other. The thuggish minority are the Sunderland I know and love. Thanks for your support, Lauren."
A fourth noted: "In tears last night seeing how those organised thugs burnt my city." (sic)
Other stars have come out and expressed their horror at the events taking place, with former Geordie Shore star Charlotte Crosby, who is also from Sunderland, calling the violence "shameful".
She re-posted a statement from the mayor of the North East Kim McGuinness to Instagram and wrote: "What started as a peaceful protest was completely ruined. Shameful. It really is."
Riots have been spreading since the Southport attack
PA
Loose Women star Denise Welch, who is from the nearby town of Tynemouth, shared a video of the protests on X and said: "The majority of the lovely Sunderland people will be horrified by these scenes."
A statement from the Met Police read: "Over 100 people have been arrested for offences including violent disorder, assault on an emergency worker, and breach of protest conditions. Some officers suffered minor injuries."
The riots have been branded as "far-right" but former Met Police detective Peter Bleksley has hit out at the use of the term and told GB News' Mark Dolan: "The expression 'far-right' is now being used very lazily."
He added: "It’s often very inaccurately used to describe anybody who harbours concerns about perhaps the rise of Islam or who is deeply concerned about unfettered migration into our country from people on small boats who we simply don’t know who they are or where they have come from.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Three girls were stabbed and died last week in Southport
PA
"The label is pinned on anyone, and it is an assault on free speech. If people were to be heard in public having such a conversation and expressing their concerns, they might be frowned upon and that conversation would be ended.
"It's lazy, it's inaccurate, and it doesn’t apply to millions of decent, law aiding, concerned British citizens."