2024-08-06 04:57:47
The UK government held an emergency COBRA response meeting on Monday after “thugs” tried to storm hotels housing asylum seekers in a sixth day of unrest.
After the COBRA meeting, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the police would be able to use a “standing army of special officers” to quell the riots. The standing army, he said, consists of officers “ready to be sent to help communities.”
He added that there would be “stricter criminal liability” and called for the identification of those involved as soon as possible. He also said he was assured that online crime is being tackled as seriously as it is on the ground.
“We will have a standing army of specialist officers, civil service officers, so that we have the means to deal with this,” said the UK Prime Minister. “This is not a protest – this is pure violence, and we will not tolerate attacks on mosques or our Muslim communities.”
Asked about calls to recall parliament, Mr Starmer said his focus was on keeping the country’s “streets safe”.
In response to the United Kingdom’s Reform Party’s accusations about the so-called “two-level police”, K. Starmer asserted: “There is no two-level police. The police work without fear or favour, which is exactly how it should be. Exactly as I hope. So it’s not a problem.”
So far, more than 140 people have been arrested across the country. Officers in Middlesbrough alone made 43 arrests.
Sky Northern England producer Hope Yeomans, who has been broadcasting live from the city and documenting the clashes between police and rioters, stressed that it was different from unrest in other parts of the country.
How the latest wave of violence unfolded
The Middlesbrough riots involved two opposing groups – far-right rioters who started the day’s unrest and an Asian community defending their homes and livelihoods from vandalism and violence.
Earlier, more than 300 people marched through the city carrying a banner that read: “Tom Jones is Welsh, Axel Rudakubana (Southport attack suspect) is not” and chanted “we want our country back!” as they walked through the city centre.
Cars were set on fire and windows were broken in the city. Burning garbage containers were thrown at the officers, leaving the road littered with smoldering debris.
On Sunday night, Cleveland Police Assistant Chief Constable David Felton said: “The level of violence we have seen today is staggering. We know the gruesome scenes in Middlesbrough today have caused concern in communities. I want to reassure the people of Teesside that we will continue to seek to identify, arrest and bring to justice those involved in these acts of violence.”
The latest riots are exceptional
What was advertised as a peaceful protest turned into cars being set on fire, aggressive men walking around with crowbars, Yeomans reported.
Large groups of men draped in English flags chanted that they wanted their country back.
They targeted the Mildsborough area, which has the largest Asian community. They set the car on fire and broke the windows of the taxi.
But what makes Middlesbrough different from other riots is that the two groups are now targeting each other. It is the rioters who started the riots on Sunday and the Asian community defending their homes and livelihoods.
There was a scuffle earlier when the police lined up and clashed with the rioters. Fireworks were fired at the police, and rioters threw bricks and stones at the officers.
Suddenly, all the rioters ran away… but not from the police, according to Sky News. It was young men from the Asian community who caught them. Many of them had bottles and at least one had a crowbar. He looked at the reporters and said, “Don’t worry, we won’t hurt you.”
The situation was volatile throughout the day. The rioters kept dispersing, then reappearing.
The rioters targeted other journalists, claiming that they were all working for the government and were preventing the truth from being revealed. Some media representatives had their cameras and other equipment broken or stolen.
One distraught woman told Sky News she could not believe what had happened to her town. She said she thought most of the rioters couldn’t even name the three little girls who died on Monday.
Just before 1:30 a.m. In the morning, Cleveland Police reported that the unrest in Middlesbrough was over.
The police force added: “There will be a police presence in the city throughout the night, tomorrow and the coming days. A total of 43 people have been arrested so far in connection with today’s incidents. A full investigation is currently underway.”
K. Starmer condemned “banditry”
After a week of unrest, the UK government signaled that the situation was truly critical when the country’s new prime minister, Mr Starmer, told rioters at a press conference on Sunday that they would regret their “thuggishness”.
“I guarantee you will regret participating in this unrest, either directly or by inciting this action online and then running away yourself.” This is not a protest, this is organized, violent banditry, which has no place either on our streets or on the Internet,” said K. Starmer.
The Interior Ministry also announced that mosques would be given more security, with new “emergency security” in place that could be deployed quickly in response to violent unrest.
Two hotels were attacked
Elsewhere, chairs were thrown at police and windows were smashed as masked anti-immigration rioters stormed a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.
Objects, including rocks and long pieces of wood, were thrown at the Holiday Inn Express and at police officers who lined up outside the building and tried to secure it, and a burning container was pushed through a window into the hotel.
At least 10 officers were injured, including one who was left unconscious. One injured officer, wearing riot gear, was carried away by his colleagues.
Hotel staff and residents were “terrified”, but no injuries were reported.
Assistant Chief Constable Lindsey Butterfield of South Yorkshire Police said on Sunday:
“Today in Rotherham our officers were attacked, at least 10 people were injured, extensive damage was caused and a hotel full of terrified residents and staff was set on fire. The senseless actions of these people today have achieved nothing but massive destruction and fear among the public and the entire community.”
A large group later threw firecrackers, smashed windows, started fires and targeted police in the grounds of another Holiday Inn in Tamworth, Staffordshire.
This hotel also houses asylum seekers.
Members of the public were told to avoid the area and one officer was injured with a suspected broken arm.
Hotel windows were broken and three petrol bombs were used to start fires.
Staffordshire Police said the disturbance later ended after the crowd dispersed outside the Holiday Inn. She asked for information that would help identify the people who attacked the hotel and the police officers.
The force said in a statement: “Police officers were attacked with petrol bombs and fireworks, protesters damaged the hotel and the lives of residents inside were at risk. Fortunately, no one inside was injured.”
Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Ellison added: “The senseless violence and despicable acts of hooliganism in Tamworth tonight are completely inexcusable. The local community did not deserve this treatment and neither did the brave officers who put themselves in harm’s way to keep everyone safe.”
Elsewhere in Bolton on Sunday, a section 34 warning was issued for disorderly conduct, giving officers extra powers to deal with anyone causing anti-social behaviour.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) also issued a Section 34 in parts of Manchester on Saturday. Police in Liverpool, Southport and Blackpool did the same.
On Saturday, there were also outbreaks of violence in cities such as Hull, Liverpool, Stoke-on-Trent, Nottingham, Bristol, Manchester, Blackpool and Belfast, where several police officers were injured.
The riots were sparked by false information about the murder of three young girls at a Southport dance studio. There were widespread reports online that the killer was an asylum seeker from the Middle East, but British police and authorities denied the reports and said the suspect was from the United Kingdom.
2024-08-06 04:57:47