Violence erupted in several cities across the United Kingdom on Saturday amid anti-immigrant protests, as crowds of far-right activists scuffled with the police and counterprotesters in the northern cities of Liverpool, Hull and Nottingham, among other locations.
After three girls were fatally stabbed during Taylor Swift dance class, a rumor on social media falsely said the assailant was a Muslim asylum resident , igniting anti-immigrant demonstrations in cities across Britain; PM Keir Starmer is set convene emergency government meeting over riots, blames ‘far-right thuggery’
The suspect has been identified as 17-year-old Alex Rudakubana who was born in Wales to Rwandan parents.
Suspects under 18 are typically not named in the U.K., but the judge in the case ordered the suspect to be identified to stop the spread of misinformation. The teen has been charged with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder.
Hundreds of people have been arrested in connection with the disorder and many more are likely as police scour CCTV, social media and body-worn camera footage. However, police have also warned that with widespread security measures in place, with thousands of officers deployed, other crimes may not be investigated fully.
On Sunday, the violence was particularly acute in the north of England town of Rotherham where police struggled to hold back hundreds of rioters who sought to break into a Holiday Inn Express hotel being used as accommodation for asylum seekers.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed Sunday afternoon that the authorities will “do whatever it takes to bring these thugs to justice.”
“I guarantee you will regret taking part in this disorder, whether directly or those whipping up this action online and then running away themselves,” he said. “This is not a protest. It is organized, violent thuggery, and it has no place on our streets or online.”
Starmer deemed anyone targeting people for the color of their skin or their faith to be “far-right.”
“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, wanton violence alongside racist rhetoric, so no, I won’t shy away from calling it what it is: far-right thuggery,” he said.
Before bringing the riot under some sort of control, police officers with shields faced a barrage of missiles, including bits of wood, chairs and fire extinguishers. A large bin close to a window of the hotel was also set alight. The small fire was extinguished.
South Yorkshire police, which is responsible for Rotherham, said at least 10 officers have been injured, including one who was left unconscious.
The behavior we witnessed has been nothing short of disgusting. While it was a smaller number of those in attendance who chose to commit violence and destruction, those who simply stood on and watched remain absolutely complicit in this,” said Assistant Chief Constable Lindsey Butterfield. “We have officers working hard, reviewing the considerable online imagery and footage of those involved, and they should expect us to be at their doors very soon.”
Culled from Fox