The director of public prosecutions in England and Wales says he is "willing" to consider charging some rioters with terrorism offences
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Keir Starmer insists communities "will be safe", after he chaired an emergency Cobra meeting on efforts to tackle the unrest
Suspects have been appearing in court after a week of violence in the UK, with 100 people charged and more than 400 arrested
In Belfast, a man in his 50s is in a serious condition in hospital after what police are treating as a racially motivated hate attack
The disorder follows the fatal stabbing of three girls in Southport – subsequent unrest has been fuelled by misinformation online, the far right and anti-immigration sentiment
Police bodycam shows officers under attack at riot
We're told that the government's emergency Cobra meeting - called following this weekend's unrest - is over.
No 10 is yet to share any details about what was discussed.
When we learn anything further about the meeting, we'll let you know.
Rounding off the brief update, Lindsey Butterfield describes violence that occurred at a hotel in Wath upon Dearne, near Rotherham.
She says there was a "particularly sickening moment" when a wheelie bin was pushed against a hotel and set on fire with "the clear intent to cause serious harm to the residents and staff".
The police worked through the night to identify those who attended the unrest, she says, issuing a warning to those who took part, saying "we will find you".
So far there have been six arrests in South Yorkshire - one in Sheffield and five in Rotherham - including one person who has already been charged and faced court this morning, Butterfield tells reporters.
She expects the number of arrests to "increase significantly" over the next few days.
South Yorkshire Police believe there were around 500 people, who held "far-right and anti-immigration views", at the protest in Rotherham on Sunday.
We've just been hearing from South Yorkshire Police's Lindsey Butterfield, who says at least 12 of the force's officers were injured in the protests at the weekend.
The assistant chief constable says bricks, fence posts, branches, and "other missiles" were thrown at them.
She adds that police dogs suffered minor injuries and horses were spat at and had objects thrown at them.
Parliament should be recalled from its summer recess to deal with these protests, according to Labour's Diane Abbott.
The government can't wait "weeks and weeks with this violence carrying on," she says, adding that what we're seeing is a "crisis" and "communities up and down the country are frightened".
Abbott is part of a growing number of cross-party MPs demanding the same thing - Tory MP Priti Patel and Reform MP Nigel Farage have said the same in recent days.
This morning, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said recalling Parliament wasn't part of the government's plans "right now".
Lauren Moss
Reporting from Southport
It’s a week since the deaths of three little girls set in motion a chain of events around the country, but here in Southport it’s those children who are at the heart of everyone’s thoughts.
More tributes have been left for Bebe, Elsie and Alice over the weekend, including Taylor Swift friendship bracelets and chalk written messages on the pavement by other children.
Different faith leaders released a statement yesterday, after the violence seen in Merseyside this weekend, saying “now is the time to take pride in our community spirit again”.
What I have seen in Southport this past week is a community pulling together but united in grief, with more mourners coming to pay their silent respects to the tributes on Lord Street this morning.
One man came to lay three single flowers.
Bebe King, six, was one of three young girls killed in the attack last week
With those attending the government's emergency Cobra meeting now at Downing Street, let's get you up to speed on this morning's developments:
We've been told that Prime Minister Keir Starmer is holding an emergency Cobra meeting today.
And a few minutes ago, Chief of the Defence Staff Tony Radakin was seen arriving at Downing Street - presumably for that very meeting.
We explain what a Cobra is, and when one is held, in this post from earlier.
Image source, PA Media
Image source, PA MediaFour men in Belfast have been charged by police investigating violence which followed an anti-immigration protest on Saturday.
Several businesses and cars were set on fire after the demonstration moved to surrounding streets.
Police are treating damage to several businesses as hate crimes.
Three police officers were injured during the unrest.
The four men are due to appear before Belfast Magistrates' Court today.
Were you at, or did you witness, any of the unrest over the weekend? If it is safe to do so, please get in touch.
You can also get in touch in the following ways:
In some cases a selection of your comments and questions will be published, displaying your name and location as you provide it unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published.
Image source, PAJames Cleverly, the shadow home secretary, is suggesting that the government could've made "key decisions" earlier to address the violent unrest across the UK.
The Cobra meeting taking place today should've been called "much earlier" due to "important operational decisions" that need to be made, he tells the BBC, such as the "use of powers" and the "clarity of leadership at a political level to support police officers".
Cleverly - speaking about social media's impact on the violence - says "the sad truth is there has always been a cohort of people who are driven by anger and driven by racism, and I think those are the people that we see perpetrating this violence".
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said earlier that the emergency response meeting would focus on key issues, including making sure rioters "pay the price" for their actions.
We're continuing to see reaction to the protests over the weekend - including the below, from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.
The "levels of intimidation and threat to life [shown this weekend] have no place in a functioning society," he says in a statement posted on X.
"Deeper long-term problems remain," the Clacton MP warns, writing: "The majority of our population can see the fracturing of our communities as a result of mass, uncontrolled immigration, whether legal or illegal. Yet to attempt to debate this in the public arena leads to immediate howls of condemnation."
Farage rejected accusations last week that he had "whipped up" rioters by asking whether "the truth is being withheld from us", after police said the Southport attack was not being treated as a terror incident. Brendan Cox - who was married to the murdered MP Jo Cox - said it was "beyond the pale to use a moment like this to spread your narrative and to spread your hatred".
Image source, @Nigel_Farage/XOliver Coppard, Labour's South Yorkshire mayor, says there's “absolutely no excuse” for the violent scenes in the UK in recent days - including in Rotherham, in his county.
Over the weekend, Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned an attack on a hotel housing asylum seekers in the town - and promised those involved would face "the full force of the law".
“As Keir said, as every decent person has said, I think these are far-right thugs who attacked some of the most vulnerable people in our communities and there is absolutely no excuse,” Coppard tells the BBC.
“There can never be any excuse for trying to burn to death 200 of the most vulnerable people in our community.”
As we've been reporting, violent disorder took place in UK towns and cities over the weekend, with two Holiday Inn Express hotels being targeted.
In Rotherham, rioters broke into one of the hotels, set fires and smashed windows. No hotel staff or residents were reported to be hurt. A police officer was injured at the other hotel, in Tamworth, suffering a suspected broken arm.
In Bolton, fireworks and smoke bombs were thrown, as police worked to keep rival protesters apart.
You can see some of the unrest here:
We've a bit more now from Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, who earlier spoke to BBC Breakfast and has since chatted to our colleagues on the Today programme.
It's put to her that people from Muslim and ethnic minorities might be worried for their safety in the wake of the riots, to which she says the targeting of mosques has been "truly shocking" - and that additional protective security arrangements were introduced to some sites last weekend.
As a reminder, Islamophobic slurs were heard in the unrest on Saturday and Sunday, and mosques and hotels reportedly housing migrants were targeted.
"Right across the country, we've seen people coming out in our towns and cities to clean up, to make sure they can rebuild the wall in front of the mosque, to make sure that they can clear up the debris and the damage [and] the ash that's been left from the fires that have been set," Cooper says. "Those are the people who speak for Britain."
Image source, PA/Merseyside Police(L-R) Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice Dasilva Aguiar and Bebe King
It's been a week now since a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, in the seaside town of Southport, was interrupted by someone wielding a knife.
Three girls - Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar - were killed. Five others were injured and left in a critical condition, with two adults also suffering critical injuries.
Armed officers, responding to reports, detained a male and seized a knife, with police later saying that a 17-year-old boy had been arrested. The boy, named as Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, has been charged with three counts of murder, 10 of attempted murder and one count of possessing a bladed article and is remanded in youth custody.
The dance event was taking place at the Hart Space studio, roughly a mile east of the centre of Southport. The holiday club was advertised as including a dance and yoga workshop as well as bracelet making, and was aimed at primary school children in Year 2-Year 6.
Since the attack, there have been riots and anti-immigration protests in the UK, fuelled in part by false claims that the suspect was Muslim and a refugee who arrived in the UK by boat in 2023.
Image source, ReutersProtesters in Rotherham set fire to bins during a violent demonstration
As we continue to bring you reaction to the violence seen over the weekend, here's a reminder of what actually happened.
On Saturday: There was unrest in Hull, Liverpool, Bristol, Manchester, Stoke-on-Trent and Blackpool, in England, and Belfast in Northern Ireland.
Missiles were thrown, shops looted, and police attacked. Bricks, bottles, and a flare were thrown at police officers in Liverpool. Around 1,000 anti-immigration protesters, some of whom were shouting Islamophobic slurs, were also confronted by counter-protesters in the northern city.
Then on Sunday: Police responded to violent scenes in others parts of the UK, including Rotherham, Middlesbrough and Bolton. Prime Minister Keir Starmer released a televised statement the same day, condemning those involved.
More than 150 people have been arrested since Saturday.
Nick Eardley
News correspondent
Some MPs are starting to call for Parliament to be recalled in response to violence in recent days.
This morning, Reform UK’s Nigel Farage and Labour’s Diane Abbott have joined the calls.
No 10 is playing down the prospect at the moment.
As things stand, MPs aren’t due back in Westminster until next month.
Rounding off her interview, Cooper says she wants to see communities brought together, able to debate their opinions and views.
She also repeats condemnation for those involved in the unrest over the weekend, in towns and cities including Rotherham and Middlesbrough in England and Belfast in Northern Ireland.
“Lots of people have concerns and views about crime, about the NHS, about immigration, but they don’t pick up bricks and throw them at the police, they don’t try and set light to a hotel where people are known to be inside it, they don’t loot shops as a result," Cooper tells the BBC.
She adds that she supports peaceful protesters who want to raise their views - but says that's a "world away from the kind of "violence and thuggery" currently taking place.
Continuing to speak to BBC Breakfast, Yvette Cooper says those involved in the violent disorder at the weekend "do not speak for Britain".
The people who came out onto the streets to clean up the mess do, though, the home secretary adds.
She says she's giving support to officers across the UK and will continue to do as we enter a new week.
Asked if there's "slack in the system" due to a shortage of prison spaces and a court backlog, Cooper says there's a priority that those involved in the violent demonstrations will face "very swift justice".
“Nobody should have to put up with this," she says.