British police bracing themselves for anti-Muslim riots and counter-protests
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Britain has been gripped by an escalating wave of violence since three young girls were killed in a knife attack in north-west Britain.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – British police braced themselves for further anti-Muslim riots on Aug 7 as far-right groups planned to target asylum centres and immigration law firms across the country, prompting anti-fascist protesters to organise counter-demonstrations.
Britain has been gripped by an escalating wave of violence that erupted early last week when three young girls were killed in a knife attack
It triggered a wave of false messages online that wrongly identified the suspected killer as an Islamist migrant.
Specialist immigration law firms and migrant support centres shut for the day, and some family doctor services in areas affected by the protests said they would close early to protect their staff.
Messages also swirled on social media, with people with large online followings relaying police guidance and neighbourhood WhatsApp groups detailing areas to avoid.
Asylum Link Merseyside, which supports asylum seekers and refugees in Liverpool, said its building was shut and would not accept any arrivals.
“Our staff are currently working on securing the building,” it said.
The government and police condemned the threats.
“Inciting mobs to attack (lawyers’) offices, or threatening them in any way, is unacceptable,” said Justice Minister Shabana Mahmood.
“Those found doing so will face the full force of the law.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a former chief prosecutor who is facing his first crisis since winning the July 4 election,
“Our first duty is to ensure our communities are safe,” he told broadcasters.
“They will be safe. We are doing everything we can to ensure that where a police response is needed, it is in place; where support is needed for particular places, that is in place.”
A British man was jailed on Aug 7 for three years over violent disorder, in one of the first sentences arising from last week’s riots. Two others were sentenced to 20 and 30 months respectively.
In towns and cities, groups of a few hundred rioters clashed with police and smashed windows of hotels housing asylum seekers from Africa and the Middle East.
They chanted “get them out” and “stop the boats” – a reference to those arriving in Britain in small dinghies.
They also pelted mosques with rocks, terrifying local communities, including ethnic minorities who felt targeted by the violence.
“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 neighbours and show them that care and compassion is what Londoners are all about,” London mayor Sadiq Khan said.
Counter-demonstrations
Posts online said immigration centres and law firms aiding migrants would be targeted on Aug 7, with one post saying: “Wednesday night lads. They won’t stop coming until you tell them.”
In response, anti-racism and anti-fascist groups organised counter-demonstrations in towns and cities across the country.
One typical post about a planned far-right protest in the southern coastal city of Brighton said: “Racist scum are trying to target an immigration lawyer’s office. We won’t let it happen – wear face coverings and face masks.”
The Waltham Forest Immigration Bureau’s shopfront was boarded up ahead of the protests, but a Middle Eastern restaurant across the street had not followed suit.
“If something happens, we will be all together,” said Kurdish-German Diyar Seftali, who has been in London since 2014 and works at the restaurant.
“I don’t care about the fight... just don’t touch my shop.”
The government has put together a so-called standing army of 6,000 specialist police officers
Members of the local community helping to clear debris from the streets in Middlesbrough, England, on Aug 5, following rioting and looting the day before.
PHOTO: AFP
London police chief Mark Rowley said that officers in key strategic locations would be agile, adding that police plans had been based on the list of possible targets, but they were ready for other eventualities too.
“That’s why we have thousands of officers on tonight. We will protect those people,” he told reporters.
“It is completely unacceptable, regardless of your political views, to intimidate any sector of lawful activity and we will not let the immigration asylum system be intimidated.”
“This country is faced with one of the worst spates of violent disorder in the last decade,” Deputy Assistant Commissioner Andy Valentine, who is in charge of the policing operation in London, said.
“We will not tolerate this on our streets. We will use every power, tactic and tool available to prevent further scenes of disorder.”
Mr Stephen Parkinson, the director of public prosecutions, said children as young as 11 have been involved in the violent disorder. “They may face lifelong consequences for their actions,” he said.
Mr Starmer has vowed a reckoning for those caught rioting, looting shops and burning cars.
He said more than 400 people had been arrested, while the Crown Prosecution Service said more than 120 people had been charged on Aug 6, with a further 20 charged on Aug 7.
Britain’s prisons have already been facing an overcrowding crisis, with Mr Starmer’s new government announcing in July plans to release more prisoners early to ease the pressures on the system. REUTERS
