UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is scheduled to hold an emergency Cobra meeting today with top police officers in response to the uprising that has engulfed the country during the weekend. This follows a strong warning from Starmer to far-right thugs who have caused mayhem, disorder and looting across cities and towns of England; targeting asylum seekers as well as mosques.
In his emergency statement from No10 last night, the PM confirmed that those involved in the riots would face severe outcomes. He assured them “you will regret it,” speaking directly to both active participants and online agitators. Keir Starmer stressed on this being “not a protest” but rather “organised, violent thuggery” pledging that appropriate legal procedures are underway including arrests, remands, charging and prosecuting.
The prime minister’s statement comes just after a mob attacked police officers and shattered windows at Rotherham’s Holiday Inn Express where some asylum seekers were housed leaving residents and staff in “absolute fear.”
Keir Starmer branded the rioters as “marauding gangs intent on law-breaking or worse” insisting there could be no possible justification for such actions. In these instances of Nazi salutes, racist hate speeches and mosque attacks especially, he referred to these acts of violence as “far-right thuggery”.
Home secretary Yvette Cooper also expressed her disgust at what she termed as a “criminal, violent” attack on the hotel arguing further that its criminality was heightened by the fact that there were people inside when it was set alight deliberately. She added her assurance too that South Yorkshire Police had been given explicit support by the government so they could do whatever was necessary against culprits.
It wasn’t only on Rotherham; in Middlesbrough police wearing riot gear suffered attacks using bricks and flaming debris filled wheelie bins. Over 30 persons were arrested when Nottingham’s Market Square turned into chaos; additionally homes were raided by police in Sunderland and arrests made connected with the violence witnessed on Saturday. Following the attacks on mosques, the Home Office has introduced “emergency security” measures and pledged more than £50m to safeguard faith communities.
