The UK government announced on Tuesday, August 6, 2024 that 6,000 specialist police officers are prepared to address ongoing far-right riots that erupted after the murder of three children, leading to a week of violence.
On Monday, six individuals were arrested, and several police officers were injured during clashes in Plymouth, southern England, where rioters hurled bricks and fireworks at law enforcement.
In Belfast, Northern Ireland, rioters attempted to set fire to a shop owned by a foreign national, resulting in a serious assault on a man in his 30s, which police are treating as a racially motivated hate crime.
In Birmingham, central England, a group of men gathered to counter a rumored far-right demonstration, forcing a Sky News reporter off the air while shouting “Free Palestine.” She was followed by a man in a balaclava holding a knife. Another reporter was chased by group members “with what looked like a weapon,” while incidents of criminal damage to a pub and a car were also reported.
The unrest began last Tuesday after a stabbing spree at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, northwest England, left three children dead and five others critically injured. The riots have since spread to several cities and towns, resulting in hundreds of arrests.
Justice Minister Heidi Alexander told BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday that the government had allocated an additional 500 prison places and deployed 6,000 specialist police officers to manage the violence. “We will make sure that anyone who is given a custodial sentence as a result of the riots and disorder, there will be a prison place waiting for them,” she said.
Mobs have thrown bricks and flares, attacked police, burned and looted shops, smashed windows of cars and homes, and targeted hotels housing asylum seekers in various cities.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer convened an emergency meeting with ministers and police chiefs on Monday to discuss the unrest, emphasizing the need to “ramp up criminal justice” to ensure swift sanctions. The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) reported 378 arrests, with more to come.
Clashes initially broke out in Southport on Wednesday, following false social media rumors that the attacker was a Muslim asylum seeker. The suspect was later identified as 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana, born in Wales to Rwandan parents. Despite this, rioters targeted mosques and Islamic places of worship, prompting the government to offer new emergency security measures.
In Burnley, northwest England, a hate crime investigation is underway after gravestones in a Muslim cemetery were vandalized with grey paint. Local councillor Afrasiab Anwar condemned the act, saying, “What type of evil individual(s) would undertake such outrageous actions, in a sacrosanct place of reflection, where loved ones are buried, solely intended to provoke racial tensions?”
Prime Minister Starmer warned rioters on Sunday that they would “regret” participating in the worst disorder England has seen in 13 years. Interior Minister Yvette Cooper echoed this sentiment on Monday, stating that “there will be a reckoning” and blaming social media for exacerbating the violence.
Heidi Alexander also criticized Elon Musk, owner of X, for his comments suggesting that “civil war” in the UK was “inevitable.” She remarked, “I think it is deeply irresponsible. I think everyone should be appealing for calm.”
Police have attributed the violence to individuals associated with the now-defunct English Defence League, a far-right Islamophobic organization linked to football hooliganism. The rallies have been promoted on far-right social media channels under the banner “Enough is enough.”
