by Mick the Ram

UK Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer was forced to convene an emergency security meeting on Monday 5 August, following a weekend of riots and growing unrest right across the country.

The spark behind the violence that has seen nearly 400 people arrested, was the horrific stabbings in Southport exactly one week ago, which saw three young girls lose their lives at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.

False claims had suggested that the attacker was a refugee and radical Islamist, but such is the power of social media that anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim groups seized upon the opportunity and used the misinformation to fuel the spread of violence.

In a desperate effort to stop it spiralling out of control, British authorities revealed that the suspect was born in Britain and had lived for many years in a village very close to the seaside town.  

Nevertheless, villages, towns and cities right around Britain have been clearing up after some shocking incidents, including buildings being set on fire, asylum seeker hotels being stormed, widespread looting and constant running battles with police.

The PM has promised that those involved will face the “full force of the law” and stated that a “standing army” of specialist officers will be formed to tackle the unrest.

The troubles have forced several countries to issue UK travel warnings to their nationals, including Australia, Malaysia and Nigeria.

PM call emergency meeting

Sir Keir Starmer called the emergency response meeting, otherwise referred to as Cobra, which was attended by ministers, civil servants and police, after far-right groups committed multiple racist attacks. Addressing the media afterwards the PM promised to have a “standing army of specialist public duty officers” to ensure that there is enough in reserve to deal with subsequent outbreaks.

He also reiterated that criminal justice will ramp up considerably and stated that he had asked for early consideration for the naming and identification of those involved in the process, who he said “will feel the full force of the law”.

The prime minister then added: “I guarantee you will regret taking part in this disorder, whether directly or those whipping up this action online and then running away themselves.” He made the point that it was not a protest, it was in his mind, organised, violent thuggery and remarked that it had “no place on our streets or online.”

False info impossible to stop

False claims had spread on social media that the Southport suspect, later identified as 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana, was a Muslim asylum seeker, who had arrived in the UK on an illegal boat crossing.

He is in actual fact a British citizen born in the UK, but once the misinformation had been released, it was almost impossible to slow it down, never mind stop it. Fuelled by Islamophobic and racist sentiments, the mobs driven by far-right extremists who had spotted an opportunity on the back of a tragic incident, set about causing as much unrest as possible.

Initially it started in Southport, as rioters pelted the police with bricks, chairs, bottles and street furniture and set vehicles on fire. This escalated to other parts of the country as the situation rapidly worsened as the week progressed. Mosques have been attacked, shops looted and numerous community facilities across the country, destroyed.

Home Secretary blasts thugs

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, said: “Britain is a proud and tolerant country, and nobody should make any excuses for the shameful actions of the hooligans, thugs and extremist groups who have been attacking police officers, looting local shops or attacking people based on the colour of their skin.”

Disorder across the country

The list of locations affected made almost an A-Z of English town and cities. One of the worst incidents occurred in Rotherham, South Yorkshire where the local Holiday Inn is housing immigrants, and was targetted by a baying mob. The group smashed windows to get inside the hotel at one point, before setting fire to bins and furniture immediately outside, and leaving those inside fearing for their lives.

At another hotel in Tamworth, near Birmingham, a police officer suffered a broken arm as windows were smashed at the Holiday Inn in the town. Windows were smashed and Molotov cocktails were used to start fires.

In Middlesbrough in the north-east of England, further violent disorder took place, with damage caused to the Crown Court and the University. Thugs also smashed the windows of houses and cars and launched an avalanche of objects at police in riot gear.  

Manchester saw a black man attacked by white gang before police rushed to protect him. It happened in broad daylight in a local park. The victim was knocked to the ground and kicked while a masked man threw a metal fence towards him. He would undoubtedly have been in serious trouble without the officers intervention, as they circled to prevent further harm coming to him. In a separate incident in the same city, three Muslim girls were allegedly spat at and subjected to attempts to rip their hijabs off.

Further incidents have occurred in London, Hull, Bristol, Stoke-on-Trent, Blackpool, Leeds, Bolton, Sunderland, Plymouth, Weymouth, Aldershot, Hartlepool, and even in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Chances are there will be many additional locations added to the list over the coming week.

Cautionary approach advised by foreign authorities

News of the rioting has caused concern in other countries for their citizens currently in Britain. Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs published an alert advising Malaysians living in, or visiting the UK, to “stay away” from protest areas and “remain vigilant”.

A similar message was issued by the Nigerian Interior Ministry, warning of an “increased risk of violence and disorder occasioned by the recent riots in the UK”. The Australian authorities also urged caution in what they said was a worrying situation for their nationals.