British govt finally moves to quell anti-Muslim riots

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer has finally moved decisively to quell anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant riots in several British cities and towns. He told broadcasters that sufficient police would be on the streets to handle riots in the coming days as communities braced for more violent protests on Wednesday.

Riots erupted across a number of towns and cities after the murder of three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed event in Southport, a seaside town in northwest England, after false messaging on social media wrongly identified the suspected killer as a Muslim migrant.

According to Reuters, rioters have targeted mosques and smashed windows of hotels housing asylum-seekers from Africa and the Middle East, chanting “get them out”, in the first widespread outbreak of violence in Britain for 13 years. Messages online said immigration centres and law firms aiding migrants would be targeted on Wednesday, prompting anti-fascist groups to say they would counter any demonstration.

Speaking after an emergency meeting with ministers and police chiefs on Tuesday, Mr Starmer said police would be in place to cope with any further disorder. “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.”

The British government is trying to quell the violence that began a week ago following a knife attack on a children’s dance class in northwestern Southport that left three girls dead. Prime Minister Starmer has blamed the lawlessness on far-right activists and disinformation on social media and has promised “swift criminal sanctions” against offenders.

Nearly 400 people have been arrested over the past week, according to the BBC. Some of those charged in connection with the riots appeared on Monday in various magistrates courts — including in Liverpool, South Tyneside and Hull, it added.

The violence began hours after residents held a vigil for the girls killed and injured in the dance attack when an angry crowd targeted Southport’s mosque. Mobs have since attacked hotels housing asylum seekers, as well as mosques, amid false rumours that the Southport suspect was a Muslim asylum seeker.