UK police braced for weekend of unrest after Southport killings
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Workers sweep debris from Windsor Road after a night of disorder in Southport, Britain, on July 31.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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LONDON - British police will put extra officers onto the streets across the country this weekend as they brace themselves for more potential unrest, following rioting and other violent incidents since the July 29 killing of three children in north-west England, officials said.
A 17-year-old boy has been charged with the murder of three young girls
Violent incidents erupted in Southport, the northeastern town of Hartlepool, London and elsewhere in reaction to false information that spread rapidly on social media claiming the suspect in the stabbings was a radical Islamist migrant.
In an attempt to quash the misinformation, police have said the suspect, Axel Rudakubana, was born in Britain.
But more than a dozen demonstrations by anti-immigration protesters are planned across the UK this weekend. Several counter-protests by those opposing racism have also been planned.
Authorities said on Aug 2 that British police chiefs had agreed to step up resources and deploy officers in large numbers over the weekend to deter any violence.
“We will have surge capacity in our intelligence, in our briefing, and in the resources that are out in local communities,” Gavin Stephens, chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, told BBC Radio.
“There will be additional prosecutors available to make swift decisions, so we see swift justice.”
Police in Southport, where hundreds of anti-immigration protesters attacked police, set vehicles alight and hurled bricks at a mosque on the evening of July 30, said they were aware of planned protests and had “extensive plans and considerable police resources” on hand to deal with any disorder.
“I want our communities to be assured that we are fully prepared to deal with anyone intent on causing disorder,” said Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims of Merseyside Police, the force that oversees Southport.
Police in Northern Ireland also said they were planning a “proportionate policing response” after learning of plans by various groups to block roads, stage protests and march to an Islamic Centre in Belfast over the weekend. REUTERS
