UK government to crack down on right-wing riots
The top priority is to ensure that we put an end to this disorder and that criminal sanctions are imposed swiftly, said Starmer following consultations with his ministers and representatives of the police, including Scotland Yard chief Mark Rowley. The streets must be safe for the public again.
Shocking images emerged over the weekend as a result of protests following the murder of three children: rioters vandalized hotels converted into asylum accommodations, stormed mosques, and looted shops. Police officers were also attacked with stones and bottles. At least twelve officers were injured, one of whom was knocked unconscious.
Clashes also occurred between protesters and groups of Muslims, as well as participants in counter-demonstrations. According to police reports, over 150 arrests were made over the weekend.
The violence erupted following a knife attack in the coastal town of Southport near Liverpool, where three children were killed and ten others injured on the previous Monday. The suspect entered a building where a summer dance course for children to the music of US star Taylor Swift was taking place.
The attack sent shockwaves through Britain. False information quickly circulated online, suggesting that the attacker was a Muslim asylum seeker. However, the police stated that the suspect was a 17-year-old born in Wales. According to British media, the young man's parents are from Rwanda.
Violent riots by far-right groups began immediately after the incident in Southport and quickly spread to other cities. The protests were promoted in right-wing media channels under the slogan "Enough is enough."
According to British media reports, over 400 arrests have been made since the riots began. Many of those arrested were brought before a magistrate on Monday.
The German government condemned the violence. The peaceful exercise of the right to demonstrate and freedom of expression are fundamental rights, said a spokesperson for the Foreign Office in Berlin on Monday. "But we sharply condemn the violent, xenophobic riots we have observed in Britain."
The British police blamed supporters of the so-called English Defence League, an anti-Islam organization founded 15 years ago with links to the hooligan scene, for the violence.
According to British extremism experts, the riots are connected to long-term efforts by an emerging far-right movement to use anti-immigrant sentiments as a weapon for its goals. Online media agitation is also a part of this.
"This often involves online networks of like-minded individuals, not a formal organization," said Milo Comerford, head of the Extremism Counteraction and Research Department at the London-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue. In this case, "online mobilization and activism are being combined with offline street movements and violence."
Britain's Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said on Monday to the BBC that the violence in the country is being "fueled" by online networks. Prime Minister Starmer emphasized that the law applies "both online and offline."
For Starmer, the riots just a month into his tenure are the first political crisis - all the more so because his left-leaning Labour Party was repeatedly accused during the campaign of being too lenient on immigration. In light of the situation, MPs from all parties pressed Starmer to recall Parliament from its summer recess, including former Conservative Home Secretary Priti Patel, Labour MPs Diane Abbott and Dawn Butler, and the leader of the anti-immigration party Reform UK, Nigel Farage.
The British authorities are investigating the role of the English Defence League in the violent riots that have swept through the United Kingdom, specifically in response to the tragedy in Southport. The Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has reiterated that the law applies both online and offline, acknowledging that these riots present his first significant political challenge since taking office.
