British police are gearing up for another night of violence amid concerns that far-right groups plan to target as many as 30 locations around the United Kingdom on Wednesday following a week of rioting and disorder.
Authorities are mobilizing about 6,000 specially trained officers this week to respond to disorder throughout the U.K., and London’s Metropolitan Police Service said it would do “everything in our power” to protect the capital.
“We know about the events planned by hateful and divisive groups across the capital,” Deputy Assistant Commissioner Andy Valentine of the Met said late Tuesday. “They’ve made their intention to cause disruption and division very clear … We will not tolerate this on our streets.”
U.K. cities and towns across have been wracked by violence for the past week as angry mobs egged on by far-right extremists have clashed with police and counterdemonstrators sparked by the spread of misinformation about the identity of the suspect in a stabbing rampage that killed three young girls in the seaside community of Southport. The suspect was falsely identified as an immigrant and a Muslim.
Rioters spouting anti-immigrant slogans have attacked mosques and hotels housing asylum-seekers, with reports emerging of violent counterattacks in some communities.
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Internet chat groups have shared a list of law firms specializing in immigration and advice agencies as possible targets for gatherings Wednesday. The messages have invited people to “mask up” if attending.
PM Starmer holds emergency meeting
Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a second consecutive meeting of the government’s COBRA emergency response committee on Tuesday to coordinate the response to the crisis, which he has described as “far-right thuggery.”
Police have already made more than 400 arrests around the country, and the government has pledged to prosecute and jail those responsible for the disorder.
The prosecutions of those who have admitted taking part in the unrest are already underway, as authorities warned severe sentences would be handed out for causing trouble. Among the first to be sentenced was Derek Drummond, 58, who was sentenced to three years in prison after admitting to violent disorder and punching a police officer in the face in Southport on July 30.
He was one of three men to be jailed in cases heard at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday.
“The three men sentenced today are the tip of the iceberg, and just the start of what will be a very painful process for many who foolishly chose to involve themselves in violent unrest,” senior district crown prosecutor Jonathan Egan said. “Many of those involved will be sent to prison for a long time.”
The government has also announced new measures to protect mosques. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said in a post on X that the police, city hall and community leaders are working to protect targeted buildings and places of worship.
“I know the shocking scenes have left many Muslims and minority ethnic communities scared and fearful, so I ask my fellow Londoners to check on their friends and neighbors and show them that care and compassion is what Londoners are all about,” he said. “In London, we have zero-tolerance for racism, Islamophobia, antisemitism or any form of hate.”
© 2024 The Canadian Press
