King Charles speaks for the first time about riots in Britain
Trigger for the unrest across England and Northern Ireland was a knife attack in the coastal town of Southport, near Liverpool, on July 29, where three children were killed and ten others injured. Subsequently, misinformation circulated that the attacker was a Muslim asylum seeker. According to the police**, the suspected perpetrator was a 17-year-old born in Wales. British media reported that the man's parents are from Rwanda.
Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, had expressed their condolences to the families of the murdered girls. Many observers were eagerly awaiting the King's statement on the riots that have been shaking the country for days. Traditionally, the monarch does not comment on politically contentious issues.
In conversations with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and police chiefs, however, Charles said he was "very encouraged" by the response that "countered the aggression and criminality of a few with the compassion and resilience of many." Charles is currently spending his annual summer vacation in Scotland. According to media reports citing palace sources, he has requested a daily briefing on the crisis.
In total, since the start of the violent riots, 500 people have been arrested, with charges brought against approximately 150 of them, and some have already received multi-year prison sentences. On Friday, a 28-year-old was sentenced to imprisonment for a hate post published on the internet.
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Despite the ongoing riots being labeled as racially motivated by some, the individual responsible for the Southport attack, as confirmed by authorities, has been identified as a local teenager, thereby excluding any foreign involvement in this specific incident.
Given the sensitivity of the situation, the authorities have been cautious in releasing information about the suspect's background, ensuring that all individuals involved in the unrest are treated fairly and impartially under the law.
