The riots in a large number of cities have characterized the UK this weekend. The BBC writes that at least 147 people have been arrested since Saturday evening. The number is expected to rise.
– I guarantee that you will regret having participated, he says according to Sky News and several other British media.
Starmer referred, among other things, to the attack on a hotel in Rotherham where activists attacked the police, smashed windows and tried to get inside. A group of asylum seekers are staying at the hotel.
– People in this country have the right to be safe, and yet we have seen Muslim communities and mosques being attacked, says Starmer.
– I say it as it is, this is mob activity from far-right groups, he adds.
Broken windows
The police in Rotherham fought on Sunday to stop what the AP news agency refers to as far-right activists from entering a hotel where asylum seekers are accommodated.
The demonstrators threw, among other things, pieces of wood, chairs and fire extinguishers at the police officers in the northern English city, and attempts were made to start a fire.
Several windows in the hotel were broken, and a police officer was carried away with injuries, according to AP. Early on Sunday evening, the BBC writes that the situation at the site is still tense.
– The criminal, violent attack on a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham is absolutely appalling. Deliberately setting fire to a building with people who are known to be there, writes Home Affairs Minister Yvette Cooper in one message on X.
– The police in South Yorkshire have the government’s full support to take the strongest measures against those responsible, she adds.
More cities
There are also reports of unrest and demonstrations on Sunday in Middlesbrough, Bolton, Hull and Weymouth.
After the knife attack in Southport, in which three little girls were killed and several injured, false rumors circulated on the internet that the perpetrator was Muslim and had come to the UK as a refugee by boat.
The authorities therefore decided that they had to make public the name of the 17-year-old perpetrator in order to avoid innocent people being blamed and to prevent anti-Islam riots.
The strategy does not appear to have succeeded. The Ministry of the Interior announced on Sunday new measures to increase security at mosques.
Social Media
Police blame the violence on supporters of the anti-immigration, far-right English Defense League, which was founded 15 years ago and is often involved in football riots.
The police in Great Britain have also warned that the extensive security measures in connection with the protests have meant that there will be less police resources to follow up other crimes.
Sky News has documented that networks of anonymous Tiktok accounts and Telegram groups trying to whip up the mood. Prime Minister Keir Starmer went out last week and chastised and warned the large companies behind the social media that they have a responsibility.
– Social media must comply with legislation intended to prevent the spread of inflammatory disinformation, he said at a press conference after a meeting with British police chiefs on Thursday.
– It is also a crime, Starmer continued.
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2024-08-04 20:49:06
