AFP and Europa Press
The newspaper La Jornada
Tuesday, August 6, 2024, p. 24
London. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Labour’s, yesterday promised to condemn fast following the crisis meeting over the weekend’s riots by far-right activists following the murder of three minors, and gave green light still standing army formed by police officers specialists to confront far-right and anti-immigration protests.
Authorities have made 378 arrests since protests began in late July, according to the NPCC, which represents police chiefs from across the country.
This figure is expected to rise as investigators continue to identify and arrest rioters, NPCC chairman Gavin Stephens warned.
The prime minister promised that the government will strengthen criminal justice to ensure sanctions fast at a time when the country is shaken by images of attacks on asylum seekers’ shelters and mosques, looting of shops and clashes with the police.
The wave of violence erupted after a knife attack that claimed the lives of three girls a week ago during a themed party for American singer Taylor Swift in Southport, in the northwest of England, which then spread throughout the country.
The riots were fuelled by false rumours and speculation on the internet about the identity of the suspect, with some reports spread by far-right influencers suggesting the perpetrator was a Muslim asylum seeker.
Police said the suspect was a 17-year-old boy born in Wales, but British media reported his parents were Rwandan.
Confrontation
Although not as violent as the weekend’s riots, there were incidents last night. In Plymouth (south-west), Sky News reported live on a tense stand-off between far-right protesters and counter-protesters, separated by police officers on either side of a road.
He said a vehicle was attacked by a man armed with a knife in Birmingham, where a crowd of Muslim men had gathered saying they were prepared to defend the streets after rumours of a far-right rally.
The United Kingdom has not seen a wave of violence of this kind since 2011, following the death of a young mixed-race man, Mark Duggan, at the hands of the police in north London.