Police are monitoring dozens of locations believed to be targets of further far-right protests. Several thousand specialist police are being mobilized.
Far-right groups in the UK were planning to gather in more than 30 locations across the country on Wednesday, more than a week after rioting first erupted, spurred on by anti-immigration conspiracy theories.
The targets of the demonstrations, which have frequently turned violent, were buildings housing asylum seekers and offices of immigration lawyers, according to a Telegram list that was leaked to the media.
The UK government said on Monday it would mobilize some 6,000 specialist police officers to tackle the worst disorder the country has seen in over a decade.
Prime Minister Kier Starmer took part in an emergency government meeting on Tuesday evening, telling reporters afterward: “We are doing everything we can to ensure that where a police response is needed, it’s in place.”
“Obviously it’s a difficult situation with disorder going on in a number of different places at the same time,” he said, adding that the government was trying “to co-ordinate the response and to get the assurance that I want and need that we do have adequate police in place, that we are able to cope with this disorder.”
Hundreds have been arrested and scores already taken to court, but police continue to search for those involved in the violence by searching through hours of footage that has been uploaded to social media, especially the video platform TikTok.
A 58-year-old man was sentenced to three years in prison on Wednesday after he was found guilty of assaulting a police officer, and was believed to be the first instance of a conviction for violent disorder since the beginning of the riots.
“The genuine and collective grief of the residents of Southport was effectively hijacked by this callous behavior,” Liverpool Crown Court Judge Andrew Menary said.
Two other men, aged 29 and 41, were sentenced to 30 and 20 months respectively for violent disorder charges. One had set fire to a police van seatbelt in Liverpool, the other pleaded guilty to a racially-aggravated public order offense.
Authorities have also pledged to go after those organizing or inciting the violence. Police pointed to the now-defunct English Defense League (EDL), a violent Islamophobic group that had ties to football hooliganism. Plans of rallies around the country were widely shared on right-wing social media channels.
US-based billionaire Elon Musk has also chimed in, having first posted on his social media platform X, formerly Twitter, that a British “civil war is now inevitable,” following that up with a comparison of the UK with the “Soviet Union.”
Justice Minister Heidi Alexander told Times Radio that “use of language such as a ‘civil war’ is in no way acceptable.”
China, India, Nigeria, Australia issue UK safety warning
Several countries around the world have issued safety warnings to their citizens in the UK, or intending to travel there amid the ongoing unrest.
The Indian High Commissioner in London warned that visitors should remain vigilant and “exercise due caution,” while China‘s diplomatic mission said Chinese citizens and tourists should avoid the affected areas.
Australia recommended “avoiding areas where protests are taking place due to the risk of disruption and violence,” while the Nigerian Foreign Ministry said there was an “increased risk of violence and disorder.”
Malaysia, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates have also issued warnings, although European countries have not as yet.
Why are there riots in the UK?
The first incident of right-wing violence followed the killing of three young girls in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift dance class in Southport, in north-west England.
A mob attacked a local mosque after initial rumors had indicated that the perpetrator had been a Muslim immigrant.
The revelation that the suspect was a Christian born in Wales to Rwandan parents did little to stop the spread of the riots.
These resulted in clashes with police, injuring several officers, as well as attempts to set two hotels housing asylum seekers on fire, with people still inside. Mosques have also been prime targets.
