Scotland’s ex-First Minister Hamza Yousaf urged the British Home Secretary to categorise the English Defence League (EDL) as a terrorist group under the Terrorism Act 2000, in the letter he wrote Wednesday.

Particularly, Yousaf accused EDL as “far right bigots” who hijacked the country’s grief for the victims of the Southport stabbing for “nefarious purposes”–spreading violence, hatred, and Islamophobia. He also asserted that the EDL was behind the violent riots in Merseyside. Last, he alleged that the EDL had repeatedly orchestrated serious violence to intimidate the public and attempt to influence the government with their racist, white supremacist ideology.

The letter was made public by Yousaf after a peaceful vigil for the victims of the Southport stabbing turned violent and hateful due to the actions of white supremacist protestors. Sarah, a Merseyside resident and a witness of the riots, told LBC that “there were gangs and gangs of young men” who were “not from Southport”, and “it had nothing to do with those little girls…it was a targeted hit on that Mosque.” The Standard reports that the protests began due to misinformation that the suspected murderer of the Southport victims was Muslim. The Southport Mosque’s chairman, Ibrahim Hussein, told reporters of The Standard that the attack had been “terrifying” and that “at one point we thought (the rioters) were coming in and they were going to burn the place down”, but that he was very grateful for the assistance of the police, who had taken a “bad beating” in protecting the Mosque.

The protests follow the tragedy in the town of Merseyside, where a man wearing a COVID mask entered a Taylor Swift-themed dance recital for children and horrifically stabbed them. Three little girls have been confirmed dead by the Southport police. Several other children, parents, and dance teachers were injured and are in critical condition. The authorities charged a 17-year-old boy with the murder of the three deceased victims, in addition to 10 counts of attempted murder. Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said that the charges are a significant milestone of the investigation but it remains ongoing.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner spoke about the riots with Shelagh Fogarty of British broadcaster LBC, stating that they were a symptom of “thuggish” behaviour that would not be tolerated under the rule of law. Rayner said, “Protest is important, and I absolutely believe in the right to protest, but the inciting of violence–and violence on the street–has absolutely no place in our democracy.”

The English Defence League is a far-right Islamophobic political group founded in 2009 and officially disbanded in 2013. Despite the official disbandment, many believe that the group operates in an unofficial capacity. Tommy Robinson, the group’s leader until 2013, has repeatedly harmed Muslim and minority communities through politics, his latest target being a Syrian refugee. As of July 29, Robinson has left the country following an arrest under the Terrorism Act 2000. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.