British Prime Minister Keir Starmer calls emergency meeting to denounce ‘acts of far-right brutality’ on UK streets

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Photo: AP

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called an emergency COBRA meeting of senior ministers and police chiefs at 10 Downing Street in London on August 5 following a weekend of riots in several cities across the country, which he described as “far-right violence” that will be met with the full force of the law.

Hundreds of arrests were made as police in riot gear responded to scenes of violence in Rotherham, Middlesbrough, Bolton and other parts of the UK on August 4, following days of some of the worst street rioting seen in the country following the fatal stabbings of three schoolgirls in Southport, northwest England.

Hotels housing asylum seekers and mosques have been among the targets of anti-immigrant mobs after initial false claims spread online that the suspect in the stabbing was an immigrant who arrived in the country illegally.

“I strongly condemn the far-right abuses we have seen this weekend. Please do not worry: those who took part in this violence will face the full force of the law,” Starmer said in a statement released on Sunday.

“There is no justification – none – for such action, and all right-thinking people should condemn this type of violence. The citizens of this country have a right to be safe and yet we have seen Muslim communities targeted, attacks on mosques, other minority communities singled out, Nazi salutes in the street, attacks on police, (and) gratuitous violence accompanied by racist rhetoric. So no, I will not hesitate to call this what it is: acts of far-right brutality,” he said.

He will chair the Cabinet Office Briefing Room (COBRA) emergency meeting with UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to discuss how to tackle the violence. The Home Office has also announced that mosques will be given greater protection through new “emergency security arrangements” that can be rapidly deployed to respond to violent disturbances targeting places of worship.

“They are not speaking for our communities. It is an absolute disgrace, and there needs to be accountability. The individuals involved in this unrest need to know that they will pay a price,” Cooper said, while noting that additional prosecutors and courts were prepared to charge those arrested with a range of offenses.

“We have made it clear to the police that they have our full support in implementing the full range of prosecutions and sanctions, including heavy prison sentences, long-term tagging, travel bans and many more,” she said.

During the weekend clashes, cars were set on fire, windows smashed, large bins were burned and thrown at police and shops were looted. Masked anti-immigration protesters stormed a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, and stones and long pieces of wood were thrown at police who had lined up outside the building to try to protect it.

“The senseless actions of those who took place today have resulted in nothing but sheer destruction and have left members of the public and the wider community in fear,” said Lindsey Butterfield, Deputy Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police.

Several police officers were injured as they confronted the crowd, fuelled by misinformation spread online. The riots began in Southport, near Liverpool, last week after a group of young children were stabbed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29.

Axel Rudakubana, 17, who is accused of 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 dead girls, have called on protesters to stop and not speak on their behalf.