Right-wing extremist rioters Mob attacks accommodation for asylum seekers in England - Starmer: "You'll regret it"
Great Britain cannot rest. There are again violent riots and clashes between right-wing extremists and the police as well as counter-demonstrators. Disturbing scenes unfold in front of a hotel allegedly used as asylum accommodation, prompting the Prime Minister to take action.
05.08.2024, 05:46
05.08.2024, 09:05
dpa
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- In the northern English town of Rotherham, hooded men tried to storm a hotel on Sunday where they suspected asylum seekers were staying.
- In a town north-east of Birmingham, rioters attacked another accommodation for asylum seekers on Sunday.
- Many of the attackers were masked.
- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer strongly condemned the attack.
Great Britain cannot rest. Protests by right-wing extremists led to new scenes of violence on Sunday. In Rotherham in northern England, people, some of them masked, attempted to storm a hotel which they believed to be asylum accommodation. Images from the news channel Sky News showed police officers struggling to push back the mob.
A chain of officers with protective shields could be seen confronting a hail of projectiles. Pieces of wood, chairs, fire extinguishers and other objects flew in the direction of the police officers.
A small fire was burning and windows of the building were smashed. At least one riot policeman was carried away injured. A police helicopter circled in the air. In the end, the security forces managed to bring the situation more or less under control.
In a town north-east of Birmingham, rioters attacked another accommodation facility for asylum seekers on Sunday. A mob threw objects at the hotel in Tamworth, reported Sky News.
Starmer: "Far-right hooliganism - not protests"
Clips on social media showed fire being set to part of the building. There was no official confirmation of this. The police spoke of "violent acts of banditry" and one officer was injured.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer strongly condemned the riots. The actions were "extreme right-wing hooliganism", not protests, said Starmer. Everything possible would be done "to bring these thugs to justice".
Starmer also addressed the suspects and masterminds behind the riots directly. "I guarantee you will regret taking part in these riots, whether directly or those who incite these actions online and then run away themselves." There is no justification for these actions.
Violent riots broke out in numerous locations across the UK on Saturday, apparently sparked by a fatal knife attack on children attending a dance class advertised as a Taylor Swift themed event in the seaside town of Southport.
Three girls aged six, seven and nine were killed in the attack last Monday, while eight children and two adults were injured. A 17-year-old was arrested as a suspect and charged with three counts of murder and ten counts of attempted murder.
False reports on the internet
False reports on the internet about the identity of the young man are apparently fanning the flames of anger among supporters of ultra-right ideologies. For example, rumors are circulating that the alleged perpetrator is a Muslim and an asylum seeker. According to the police, he was born in Wales and his parents are from Rwanda.
Information about his religious affiliation was not available. Suspects under the age of 18 are not normally identified in the kingdom, but the judge in charge surprisingly ordered his name to be given in order to counteract the spread of false information, among other things.
But the riots did not subside. Scenes of violence unfolded in numerous locations on Saturday - from the Northern Irish capital Belfast to Liverpool in north-west England and Bristol in the south-west. Merseyside Police, for example, reported that around 300 people took part in riots in Liverpool.
The first floor of the Spellow Lane Library Hub - a library and community center built primarily for the needy - was vandalized and set on fire. Rioters then tried to prevent firefighters from putting out the fire. A projectile was thrown at the emergency services' vehicle, smashing a rear window.
The Mayor of Greater Liverpool, Steve Rotheram, later spoke of an attack that was not only aimed at the building, but at "our community itself". It was "an insult to those families still grieving and the survivors still struggling to come to terms with Monday's attack".
Attacks organized by mysterious ultra-right groups
There were dozens of arrests and police officers were injured. There were also clashes between ultra-nationalists and counter-demonstrators protesting against racism. Further arrests are likely to be made, especially as the authorities were still examining footage from surveillance cameras, footage from officers' body cameras and content on social media.
Further protests were expected on Sunday. The vice-chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, Tiffany Lynch, warned that officers would be diverted from their routine work, leaving them unable to investigate other crimes.
According to the police, many rallies were organized over the internet by mysterious ultra-right-wing groups who campaigned for support with slogans such as "Enough is enough", "Save our children" and "Stop the boats".
Nigel Farage, who was first elected to parliament in July as leader of the right-wing populist Reform UK party, is also accused of indirectly fueling the heated atmosphere with his rhetoric. Although he condemned the violence, he also accused the government of blaming it on "a few ultra-right-wing thugs". "The far right is a reaction to fear (...) shared by tens of millions of people," he explained.
Starmer, meanwhile, stressed that targeting people because of their skin color is far-right extremism. "People in this country have a right to feel safe."