LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called an emergency COBRA meeting of senior ministers and police chiefs at 10 Downing Street here on Monday after a weekend of riots across several cities in the country, which he termed a “far-right thuggery” that will face the full force of the law.
Hundreds of arrests have been made as police officers in riot gear responded to violent scenes in Rotherham, Middlesbrough, Bolton and other parts of the UK on Sunday, after days of some of the worst rioting seen on the streets of the country in the wake of the fatal stabbings of three schoolgirls in Southport, north-west England.
Hotels housing asylum seekers and mosques have been among the targets of the anti-immigrant mobs after initial false claims spread online regarding the stabbing suspect being an immigrant who arrived in the country illegally.
“I utterly condemn the far-right thuggery we have seen this weekend. Be in no doubt: those who have participated in this violence will face the full force of the law,” said Starmer in a statement on Sunday.
“There is no justification – none – for taking this action, and all right-minded people should be condemning this sort of violence. People in this country have a right to be safe and yet, we’ve seen Muslim communities targeted, attacks on mosques, other minority communities singled out, Nazi salutes in the street, attacks on the police, (and) wanton violence alongside racist rhetoric. So, no, I won’t shy away from calling this what it is: far-right thuggery,” he said.
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He will chair the emergency Cabinet Office Briefing Room A (COBRA) meeting with UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to discuss the future course of action to curb the violence. The Home Office has also announced that mosques will be offered greater protection with new "emergency security" that can be rapidly deployed to respond to violent disorder targeting places of worship.
"They do not speak for our communities. It's a total disgrace, and there has to be a reckoning. Those individuals who are involved in the disorder need to know that they will pay a price," said Cooper, as she indicated that additional prosecutors and courts are on standby to charge those being arrested for a series of offences.
"We have made very clear to the police that they have our full support in pursuing the full range of prosecutions and penalties, including the serious prison sentences, long-term tagging, travel bans and more," she said.
During clashes over the weekend, cars were set alight, windows smashed, large bins burnt and hurled at officers and stores looted. Masked anti-immigration mobs broke into a hotel housing asylum-seekers in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, and rocks and long pieces of wood were thrown at police officers who lined up in front of the building as they tried to protect it.
"The mindless actions of those today have achieved nothing other than sheer destruction and leaving members of the public and the wider community in fear," said Assistant Chief Constable Lindsey Butterfield of South Yorkshire Police.
Several police officers have suffered injuries as they faced off with the mobs, who are being fuelled by misinformation being spread online. The riots started in Southport, near Liverpool, last week following the stabbing of a group of young children at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29.
Axel Rudakubana, 17, who has been charged with three murders and other attempted murders, was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents. However, initial misinformed social media posts claimed he was a refugee who arrived last year on a small boat. Southport residents, including the mother of one of the girls who died, have called for the protesters to stop and that they do not speak for them.