5 Days of Unrest in Britain: A Trap for Starmer and a Major Challenge
Five days of protests and riots across the UK, led by the far-right, were sparked by false information about a murder at a dance school.
Yesterday, masked far-right rioters attempted to set fire to a hotel housing asylum seekers, while other violence erupted nationwide during anti-immigration protests.
Simultaneously, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned protesters that they would “regret” their involvement in the worst riots England has seen in 13 years, following the murder of girls at a dance school.
On the fifth day of the protests, anti-immigration protesters with masks smashed windows at a hotel used to house asylum seekers in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.
The police reported that a second hotel known for housing asylum seekers was also targeted by violence on Sunday evening, near Birmingham in central England.
The unrest, linked to false information about a stabbing incident that occurred last Monday in Southport, northwest England, has spread to several towns and cities where anti-immigration protesters clashed with police.
The Greatest Challenge
These disturbances represent the greatest challenge Starmer has faced just a month into his tenure as Prime Minister, following his leadership of the Labour Party to a landslide victory over the Conservatives.
Starmer said in a televised address, “I assure you that you will regret participating in these disturbances, whether directly or by fueling these movements online.”
He emphasized that there was “no justification” for what he described as “far-right thuggery,” and pledged to bring the offenders “to justice.”
Footage broadcast by the BBC showed rioters forcing their way into the “Holiday Inn Express” hotel in Rotherham. They also pushed a burning waste container into the building.
It was not immediately clear if the building housed asylum seekers.
Ten police officers were injured in the raid, but no hotel staff or guests were harmed, according to the police.
In Middlesbrough, northeast England, clashes occurred between hundreds of protesters and riot police. Some threw stones and objects at the officers.
The Worst Since 2011
According to the police, more than 150 people were arrested following clashes on Saturday in several English cities, including Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Blackpool, Hull, as well as Belfast in Northern Ireland.
These incidents are the worst in Britain since the summer of 2011, when widespread riots erupted following the death of a man by police in north London.
Christian, Muslim, and Jewish religious leaders in Liverpool issued a joint call for calm.
Tiffany Lynch from the Police Federation of England and Wales stated, “We have seen riots and clashes of this nature before, but they were confined to specific areas of the country. We are now seeing them spread across major cities and towns.”
The Cause of the Crisis
The initial unrest began in Southport on Tuesday night, following a knife attack at a dance school near Liverpool on the northwest coast of England.
The disturbances were fueled by false rumors on social media about the background of the British-born suspect, Axel Rodakopana, 17, who is accused of attacking the dance school.
Rodakopana is accused of killing Beppi King (6), Elsie Dutt-Stancomb (7), and Alice Da Silva Aguiar (9), and injuring 10 others.
The police have attributed the chaos to organizations linked to the now-dissolved “British Defence League,” an anti-Islamic group founded 15 years ago.
Rioters targeted at least two mosques, and the British Home Office announced emergency security measures for Islamic places of worship.
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Marches are being organized on far-right social media pages under the slogan “Enough is Enough.”
In response, antifascist protesters have organized counter-protests in several cities, including Leeds, chanting “Get off our streets, you Nazi scum,” while far-right protesters shouted “You are no longer British.”
In last month’s elections, the British Reform Party led by Nigel Farage received 14% of the vote, one of the largest shares for a British far-right party, indicating that this movement is gaining ground in Britain.
