Photo caption, Thousands of police were deployed, but the counter-marches were mostly peaceful.Article information
- Author, Writing
- Role, BBC News World
- August 8, 2024
Updated 7 hours ago
“Anyone who engages in disorder – regardless of their motive – will feel the full weight of the law.”
That was the message given by British Prime Minister Kier Starmer after taking extraordinary measures to deal with the violent, xenophobic and racist riots that have spread across England and Northern Ireland in the last week.
The riots began in the north-west English town of Southport after a teenager carried out a knife attack on a community centre, killing three girls and seriously injuring five other children and two adults.
Hordes of protesters took to the streets, encouraged by false information published on social networks by far-right groups which indicated that the attacker was a Muslim immigrant who had requested asylum in the United Kingdom.
Protesters attacked mosques and hotels known to host refugees, set cars on fire, hurled racist threats and insults, beat people they thought were foreigners and clashed with police.
There have been nearly 500 arrests and The courts have already begun to prosecute and imprison several of the participants in the violent acts.following the government’s order to speed up judicial processes.
Starmer will hold a third emergency meeting with his cabinet and police commanders on Thursday as the threat of further unrest continues.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday night, thousands of protesters took to the streets in anti-racist counter-marches throughout England.
Some 6,000 police officers were deployed in anticipation of further unrest, but most marches were peaceful in a show of support for the refugees.
Photo caption, Prime Minister Keir Starmer (R) has backed and strengthened police units to deal with the social crisis.
Substantial convictions
The British government has been taking swift and extraordinary measures to deal with the law and order crisis.
Following a first emergency ministerial meeting on Tuesday, the government announced reinforcements for the police as well as the availability of 500 new spaces in prisons for those convicted of violence.
Keir Starmer said that people who are arrested for taking part in the riots They will be prosecuted and sentenced quickly in court..
After calling a second emergency meeting with police commanders, Starmer said he expected “substantial sentences” to be handed down within days.
The Prime Minister praised the “robust and swift response” of the criminal justice system, adding that he hoped sentences would be handed down for some of those involved in the rioting before the end of the week.
“That should send a powerful message to anyone involved, whether directly or online, that they will most likely be prosecuted within a week.”
“No one, absolutely no one, should get involved in this mess,” he added.
Image source, Crown Prosecution Service
Photo caption, Derek Drummond (left), Declan Geiran (centre) and Liam Riley (right) are among the first to be jailed for taking part in the riots.
“The tip of the iceberg”
On Thursday morning, William Nelson Morgan, 69, was sentenced to 32 months in prison for violent disorder and a further six months for possession of an offensive weaponThe convict was carrying a baton during Saturday’s riot in Liverpool and it took three police officers to arrest him.
Four men had previously been jailed for their involvement in the riots.
As she left court, Chief Crown Prosecutor Sarah Hammond warned that the prison sentences were “the tip of the iceberg” and were “just the beginning of what will be a painful process for many who foolishly decided to get involved in the violent unrest”.
Image source, PA Media
Photo caption, A police officer is attacked by a mob in Southport.
Many more suspects are appearing in court over the riots.
Until Wednesday, Authorities had arrested more than 400 people in connection with the violent events and some 140 have been charged. in recent days, according to the Crown Prosecution Service.
These include four men who appeared before a Manchester court, charged with violent conduct on Saturday during a protest in a park in that city.
And in nearby Warrington, a 53-year-old woman was charged with sending threatening messages suggesting “blowing up a mosque with adults inside”, a Magistrates’ Court source said.
Far-right messages online
The government has reiterated that online crime will also be tackled with the full force of the law.
The head of the Crown Prosecution Service, Stephen Parkinson, told the BBC on Tuesday that his office is Considering the request for extradition of influencers of social networks who are allegedly playing a role in violent unrest from abroad.
“They must know that they will not be safe and they will have nowhere to hide,” he stressed.
He added that anyone linked to the violence would face the most severe criminal charges, including terrorism.
Authorities are concerned about personalities far right as English Defence League founder Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson.
Robinson is currently in Cyprus and the British High Court has issued a request for his arrest after he failed to comply with a summons on Monday.
Image source, Reuters
Photo caption, Counter-march in support of migrants in London.
Supporting diversity
On Wednesday night, Thousands of people took to the streets of several cities and towns in England to show their support for refugees.
Police deployed some 6,000 officers in anticipation of further violence, but the marches were largely peaceful, with only a handful of arrests.
The largest counter-marches took place in London.
Photo caption, Walthmastow is a diverse community and a sanctuary district for refugees.
In Walthamstow, in north-east London, a sanctuary district welcoming refugees, thousands of people took to the streets.
Many held signs with messages such as “Hate is not welcome here,” “Stop the far right,” and “Refugees welcome.”
“We are here to support diversity and show strength against bullies,” said Frank Merritt.
Many of the countermarches were held in the places where riots by far-right members took place.
In Liverpool, hundreds of protesters gathered around an asylum services office with its windows boarded up, chanting support for refugees and migrants.
A counter-march of around 2,000 people in Bristol prevented a small group of extremists from attacking the office of a group of refugee lawyers.
In Newcastle, northern England, around 1,000 protesters, most of them Muslim, stood outside a migration services centre that had been targeted by the far right.
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