King congratulates British PM for quelling mobs

LONDON (AP/El Universal).— King Charles III congratulated those who took to the streets of British cities earlier this week to help end days of rioting fueled by far-right activists and misinformation about a knife attack that killed three girls.

The king spoke by telephone on Monday with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and law enforcement officials and expressed his “deep gratitude” to police and other emergency workers for their efforts to restore order and assist those affected by the violence, Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

“The King shared how he had been greatly encouraged by the many examples of community spirit that had countered the aggression and criminality of the few with the compassion and resilience of the many,” the palace said. “It remains His Majesty’s hope that the shared values ​​of mutual respect and understanding will continue to strengthen and unite the nation.”

British police remain on alert for further violence after the country was rocked by riots for more than a week, with crowds chanting anti-immigration and Islamophobic slogans attacking mosques, looting shops and clashing with police.

The government called the violence “far-right hooliganism” and mobilized 6,000 specially trained police officers to quell the unrest.

The government said the riots were fuelled by right-wing activists who used social media to spread false information about the July 29 knife attack that killed three girls aged between six and nine at a Taylor Swift-themed dance in the seaside town of Southport.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council said some 741 people had been arrested in connection with the violence, 304 of whom were charged with offences.

Challenge for Srarmer

For two years, the Holiday Inn Express hotel in Rotherham, a town in northern England inhabited by steel industry workers, had been hosting about 130 refugees, mostly men from Africa and the Middle East.

The situation there for people who had fled conflict and poverty in search of refuge was not the most ideal.

Since their arrival, they have been the target of demonstrations called by local residents and politicians in the area.

On the 5th, the Holiday Inn Express woke up unrecognizable.

The day before, shouting “get them out,” a stampede of rioters stormed the place, throwing stones, chairs and anything else in their path, outnumbering the police forces. In the end, they set fire to the place while blocking the way for the firefighters. No hotel staff members were injured, nor were the residents, who were taken to an unnamed location.

The Rotherham riots are not isolated.

Protests have erupted across the UK since the knife attack on the Southport girls, north of Liverpool, which has been a first major test for Labour’s Keir Starmer.

At a glance

Arrested

In the first seven days following the Southport incident, protests and violent clashes between law enforcement and far-right activists in locations including Manchester, Hull, Liverpool, Bristol, Stoke-on-Trent, Blackpool, Middlesbrough and Belfast left nearly 400 people arrested and dozens of officers injured.

The full weight of the law

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has been instructed to bring the full force of the law to bear on those responsible.

Warning

“I guarantee you will regret taking part in this mess. The accusations will follow, then the convictions,” said Keir Starmer.

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