England Right-wing extremist riots: British government convenes crisis team
Due to the serious right-wing extremist riots in England and Northern Ireland, the British government has today scheduled a meeting of the national crisis unit Cobra.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the Social Democratic Labor Party announced a crackdown by law enforcement authorities on Sunday. "I guarantee you will regret taking part in these riots," he said at a press conference, addressing rioters and agitators.
According to the BBC, at least 250 people have been arrested so far in connection with the riots. The Cobra meeting will be attended by Prime Minister Starmer, several relevant cabinet members and representatives of the police.
Windows smashed and fires set
At the weekend, two hotels where asylum seekers are said to be housed were attacked in the course of the riots.
Hundreds of rioters gathered outside a hotel in Rotherham in the county of South Yorkshire on Sunday, smashed windows and set fires. The police were also attacked with projectiles. Several officers were injured. Similar scenes took place in the evening at a hotel in Tamworth near Birmingham.
Deadly attack on children is taken as an opportunity
In the preceding days, there had been attacks on mosques in various English and Northern Irish cities as well as clashes with the police and in some cases with counter-demonstrators. The Home Office announced that mosques would be better protected against attacks.
The far-right rioters are using the deadly attack on a Taylor Swift dance class in Southport near Liverpool last Monday, in which three children were killed and several people seriously injured, as an opportunity.
Fake news on the internet about suspect
False reports had previously been spread on the Internet claiming that the alleged attacker was an asylum seeker with a Muslim name. The police refuted this.
The suspect's name has since been published. He is a 17-year-old born in Great Britain whose parents come from Rwanda. The motive for the crime is unclear.
