Canada updates U.K. travel advisory due to violent protests

The Canadian government on Tuesday suggested residents exercise caution if visiting the United Kingdom due to ongoing demonstrations and violent clashes between protesters and police.

“Demonstrations take place regularly. Even peaceful demonstrations can turn violent at any time,” the government wrote in its updated U.K. travel page. “Past violent clashes between protestors and security forces have resulted in assaults, riots, looting and vandalism. Protests can deteriorate quickly. They can also lead to disruptions to traffic and public transportation.”

The government advised Canadians to:

• Avoid areas where demonstrations, protests and large gatherings are taking place
• Exercise caution
• Expect an increased security force presence in areas where demonstrations are taking place
• Follow the instructions of local authorities
• Monitor local media for information on ongoing demonstrations

Violence between protesters and police began after a knife attack that killed three girls between six and nine on July 29 in Southport, a seaside town north of Liverpool. Eight other children and two adults were injured.

Police detained a 17-year-old suspect. Rumours, later debunked, quickly circulated on social media that the suspect was an asylum-seeker or a Muslim immigrant.

The next day, as people gathered to comfort one another and lay flowers at the site, hundreds of protesters attacked a local mosque with bricks, bottles and rocks. Police said the rioters were “believed to be supporters of the English Defence League,” a far-right group that has organized anti-Muslim protests since 2009.

Since then, hundreds of protesters have been arrested, and the U.K. government has pledged that rioters will feel “the full force of the law” after hurling bricks and other projectiles at police, looting shops and attacking hotels used to house asylum-seekers.

With files from The Associated Press