London, Aug 5 (PTI) British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday pledged a “standing army” of specialist officers to stamp out the riots across several cities in the country, which he termed as “far-right thuggery”, after an emergency COBRA meeting of senior ministers and police chiefs.
The emergency Cabinet Office Briefing Room A (COBRA) meeting, which included Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Scotland Yard chief Mark Rowley, was called to discuss the future course of action to curb the violence and also ensure speedy judicial processes to deal with the suspects being arrested.
“There were a number of actions that came out of the meeting. The first is we will have a standing army of specialist officers, public duty officers, so we will have enough to deal with this where we need them,” Starmer told reporters after the meeting held at 10 Downing Street in London.
“The second is we will ramp up criminal justice. There have already been hundreds of arrests. Some of them have appeared in court this morning. I’ve asked for the early consideration of the earliest naming and identification of those involved in the process, who will feel the full force of the law,” he said.
Starmer also stressed that the law applies equally to social media users who are committing criminal acts online of whipping up hate.
“In relation to the police, I am absolutely clear that we will have the officers we need, where we need them to deal with this disorder. That is why the standing army has been set up, specialist officers ready to be deployed to support communities,” he added.
Hundreds of arrests have been made as police officers in riot gear responded to violent scenes in Rotherham, Middlesbrough, Bolton and other parts of the UK on Sunday, after days of some of the worst rioting seen on the streets of the country in the wake of the fatal stabbings of three schoolgirls in Southport, north-west England.
Hotels housing asylum seekers and mosques have been among the targets of the anti-immigrant mobs after initial false claims spread online regarding the stabbing suspect being an immigrant who arrived in the country illegally.
“I utterly condemn the far-right thuggery we have seen this weekend. Be in no doubt: those who have participated in this violence will face the full force of the law,” Starmer had said in a statement on Sunday.
“There is no justification – none – for taking this action and all right-minded people should be condemning this sort of violence. People in this country have a right to be safe and yet, we’ve seen Muslim communities targeted, attacks on mosques, other minority communities singled out, Nazi salutes in the street, attacks on the police, (and) wanton violence alongside racist rhetoric. So, no, I won’t shy away from calling this what it is: far-right thuggery,” he said.
The Home Office has announced that mosques will be offered greater protection with new “emergency security” that can be rapidly deployed to respond to violent disorder targeting places of worship.
“They do not speak for our communities. It’s a total disgrace and there has to be a reckoning. Those individuals who are involved in the disorder need to know that they will pay a price,” said Cooper, as she indicated that additional prosecutors and courts are on standby to charge those being arrested for a series of offences.
“We have made very clear to the police that they have our full support in pursuing the full range of prosecutions and penalties, including the serious prison sentences, long-term tagging, travel bans and more,” she said.
Amnesty International UK warned against the anti-immigrant rhetoric that preceded the rioting of last week and cautioned against labelling the violent attacks as “anti-immigration”.
“The racist violence we are now seeing on our streets has been preceded by an intense period of scapegoating refugees and migrants by politicians and others – in dangerous rhetoric and policy. I hope those who spread that rhetoric look at the consequences of their words and learn,” said CEO Sacha Deshmukh.
During clashes over the weekend, cars were set alight, windows smashed, large bins burnt and hurled at officers and stores looted. Masked anti-immigration mobs broke into a hotel housing asylum-seekers in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, and rocks and long pieces of wood were thrown at police officers who lined up in front of the building as they tried to protect it.
“The mindless actions of those today have achieved nothing other than sheer destruction and leaving members of the public and the wider community in fear,” said Assistant Chief Constable Lindsey Butterfield of South Yorkshire Police.
Several police officers have suffered injuries as they faced off with the mobs, who are being fuelled by misinformation being spread online. The riots started in Southport, near Liverpool, last week following the stabbing of a group of young children at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29.
Axel Rudakubana, 17, who has been charged with three murders and other attempted murders, was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents. However, initial misinformed social media posts claimed he was a refugee who arrived last year on a small boat. Southport residents, including the mother of one of the girls who died, have called for the protesters to stop and that they do not speak for them. PTI AK PY PY PY
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