Charles III Mentions Anti-Immigrant Protests in UK Phone Call with PM Starmer
King Charles III has praised police in the wake of far-right protests across the country. While he indirectly criticized the protesters, he stressed the need for national unity through mutual respect and understanding.
According to foreign news agencies including the BBC and AP, King Charles III spoke on the phone with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) Chairman Gavin Stevens on the 9th (local time).
A royal spokesperson stated that the King expressed his sincere gratitude to the police and emergency services for their work in restoring peace in areas affected by violent disorder, adding that “shared values of mutual respect and understanding will continue to strengthen and unite our nation.”
King Charles III remains politically neutral amidst speculation over whether he will directly address the riots.
Britain is reeling from riots sparked by the spread of misinformation.
The riots began after unfounded information began to spread online that the suspect in a knife attack at a children’s dance class in Southport, Merseyside, on the 29th of last month was an illegal Muslim from Syria.
The unrest spread across Britain, including the capital London, Liverpool, Nottinghamshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, and Belfast, Northern Ireland, and led to violence targeting Muslims and immigrants.
On the 7th, a British court sentenced three people involved in the violence to prison, just over a week after it began. According to the NPCC, 741 people have been arrested on suspicion of violence, of which 304 have been criminally charged.
In an unusual move, a British court released the juvenile suspect to correct false information.
The suspect in the murder case is a Welsh-born man of Christian Rwandan parents.