British Prime Minister Starmer wants to continue to crack down on radical right-wing protests
Starmer said he had scheduled a meeting with high-ranking police representatives to assess the events of the previous night and discuss the course of action for the coming days. The high police presence "in the right places" had calmed the situation and given people a sense of security, the prime minister added. Around 6,000 officers had been deployed nationwide.
London's police chief, Mark Rowley, said the strong police presence and unity among different communities had helped tackle challenges in the capital. Mayor Sadiq Khan praised the police for their "heroic efforts" and those who "peacefully showed that London stands united against racism and Islamophobia," he wrote on the online service X.
Thousands of people took to the streets in the capital and numerous other cities across Britain on Wednesday, following days of far-right protests. "Whose streets? Our streets," chanted participants at a demonstration in Walthamstow in northeast London. There were also protests in Birmingham, Bristol, and Liverpool. In Sheffield, participants chanted: "Say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here."
The night into Thursday was less peaceful in Northern Ireland, where three police officers were injured in riots. The legislators in Belfast therefore broke their summer recess.
On Wednesday, the British justice system imposed initial prison sentences of up to three years for participants in the violent riots of recent days. On Thursday, two more men were sentenced to two years and eight months each.
Since the start of the riots, at least 483 people have been arrested and 149 charged, the prosecution service announced. The suspects are accused of, among other things, providing weapons for attacks on police.
In the past week, far-right riots in several cities across the country have seen asylum seeker accommodations and mosques attacked, as well as police assaulted. The background is a knife attack in the coastal town of Southport near Liverpool on July 29, in which three children were killed and ten others injured.
The attack shook Britain. False information quickly circulated online, claiming the attacker was a Muslim asylum seeker. According to police, the suspected perpetrator was a 17-year-old born in Wales. British media report that the man's parents are from Rwanda.
The British police blame followers of the so-called English Defence League for the violence. The anti-Islam organization with links to the hooligan scene was founded 15 years ago.
The Prime Minister, presumably referring to Starmer, may express his gratitude to the police for their role in maintaining peace and security during the turbulent times. Their actions have undeniably contributed to restoring a sense of normality.
In light of the recent unrest, the Prime Minister might consider addressing the escalating tensions and expressing his government's stance on promoting inclusivity and unity, particularly in relation to the incidents in Liverpool.
