LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer vows rioters would “regret” engaging in “far-right thuggery” after a sixth day of escalating violence in England as the government announced emergency security for mosques as well the swift judicial action amid the threat of further disorder in next days.
In a televised address to the nation, the prime minister condemned an attack on a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham and promised those involved in unrest would “face the full force of the law”.
Speaking from Downing Street, Starmer, 61, suggested that rioters taking to the streets, and those “whipping up this action online and then running away themselves,” would face consequences.
Meanwhile, the Home Office announced mosques would be offered greater protection under a new “rapid response process” designed to quickly tackle the threat of further attacks on places of worship.
“People in this country have a right to be safe, and yet we’ve seen Muslim communities targeted, attacks on mosques,” the prime minister said.
He said: “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.” The leader of the Labour Party indicated that the response to the violence could mirror elements of how the 2011 riots were handled, at which time he was director of public prosecutions.
“We do have standing arrangements for law enforcement which means that we can get arrests, charge remanded in custody and convictions done very quickly,” he said.
“I myself was part of that in 2011 when I was director of public prosecutions, and I’m determined we will do whatever it takes to bring these thugs to justice as quickly as possible.”
He told reporters that time has been spent over recent days working with police and the justice system to “make sure that the necessary arrangements for law enforcement are in place”.
It means the system can get “arrests, charge, remand and custody and conviction done very quickly”.
“I want you to know that this violent mob do not represent our country and we will bring them to justice,” he said.
Asked whether he thought everyone taking part in the riots were far-right thugs, he said: “If you target people because of the colour of their skin or their face then that is far right and I’m prepared to say so. But it doesn’t matter what apparent motivation there is. This is violence, not protest. It doesn’t matter what the motivation is.”
He hit out at the “marauding gangs intent on breaking the law or worse”, adding: “There is no justification, none, for taking this action and all right-minded people should be condemning this sort of violence.”
Ministers have suggested that courts could sit 24 hours to fast-track prosecutions — as they did in 2011 — while police forces have measures in place to draft in extra officers to tackle potential unrest.
It comes as anti-immigration rioters attacked police and smashed the windows of a hotel in Rotherham as the atmosphere turned increasingly febrile on the sixth day of unrest in England.
Masked men launched lengths of wood and sprayed fire extinguishers at officers outside a Holiday Inn Express, with some storming past a police line and into the ground floor, which was set on fire during the disorder.
A police helicopter circled overhead, and at least one injured officer in riot gear was carried away.
Meanwhile,a group of rioters in Middlesbrough smashed the windows of houses and cars and hurled objects at officers on Sunday afternoon.
It follows similar scenes of unrest in Southport, Belfast, Hartlepool, Hull, Liverpool, Stoke-on-Trent, Nottingham, Sunderland and elsewhere earlier in the week.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the deliberate torching of a hotel where people were known to be inside was “utterly appalling” and South Yorkshire Police have Government backing to take “the strongest action”.
The Home Office on Sunday offered mosques greater protections as part of a new process, under which it said “rapid security” deployment can be requested in order to allow a return to worship as fast as possible.
Violence has broken out in parts of England and Northern Ireland following the killing of three young girls in Southport on Monday, with 147 arrests made since Saturday alone.
Axel Rudakubana, a 17-year-old boy, is accused of the attack, but false claims spread online that the suspect was an asylum seeker who had travelled to the United Kingdom by boat.
The far right have been widely condemned as the organising force behind the subsequent unrest, which has seen bricks pelted at police officers, community facilities including a library set on fire, mosques attacked and shops looted.
Cooper said: “Britain is a proud and tolerant country, and nobody should make any excuses for the shameful actions of the hooligans, thugs and extremist groups who have been attacking police officers, looting local shops or attacking people based on the colour of their skin.
“In light of the disgraceful threats and attacks that local mosques have also faced in many communities, the Government is providing rapid additional support through the Protective Security for Mosques Scheme, alongside the support from local police forces and we repeat that anyone involved in this disorder and violence will face the full force of the law.
“As a nation we will not tolerate criminal behaviour, dangerous extremism, and racist attacks that go against everything our country stands for.”
Starmer said he wanted those who “feel targeted because of the colour of their skin” to know “this violent mob do not represent our country”.
Forces are bracing for further unrest, with Greater Manchester Police issuing a Section 60AA order in Bolton requiring people to “remove face coverings used to disguise or conceal their appearance” which will stay in force until 10pm. –Agencies
