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Britain has been hit by a series of riots after the killing of
three young girls in a July 29 knife attack in Southport,
northwest England, triggering a wave of false online posts that
wrongly identified the suspected killer as an Islamist migrant.
Far-right groups opposed to immigration planned dozens of
gatherings across the UK on Wednesday.
In response, thousands of police and anti-racism protesters
gathered in cities across the United Kingdom and London's
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said the night had
gone "very peacefully" apart from a few criminal incidents.
"I think the show of force from the police, and frankly, the
show of unity from communities, together defeated the challenges
that we've seen," Rowley told reporters.
While anti-racism protesters marched carrying banners with
slogans like "Refugees Welcome" and "No to Hate", no large
far-right gatherings were reported, only smaller groups.
Police said several dozen people had thrown bottles and tried to
cause disruption in the southern English town of Croydon, while
in Northern Ireland, bins were set on fire in Belfast and
authorities said they dealt with a number of race-related hate
crime incidents.
Rowley said police had continued to make raids and arrest
violent offenders on Thursday morning, including many with
criminal backgrounds. Over 400 people in total have been
arrested across the country since the start of the riots.
"Any suggestion they're patriots, or they've got a cause... is
nonsense," Rowley said. "They're criminals, and frankly, most of
them are going to be charged with violent disorder, and most of
them are going to go to prison for a few years."
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a former chief prosecutor who is
facing an early crisis after winning a July 4 election, has
warned rioters they will face lengthy jail terms.
Policing minister Diana Johnson said on Thursday she remained
cautious about the situation.
"There are consequences for the criminality on our streets, and
I think that swift justice that we're seeing is also helping to
make people think twice about getting involved," Johnson told
Sky News.
(Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
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