UK leader Keir Starmer is scheduled to conduct an emergency response meeting on Monday following the outbreak of far-right riots across England in response to the murder of three children last week. The Prime Minister will preside over a gathering that includes ministers and police to address the violence that initially erupted in Southport, northwest England. Police have detained hundreds of individuals across various towns and cities, with anti-immigration demonstrators and rioters clashing with police and counter-protesters.
The disturbances follow the tragic event in Southport last Monday where three young girls were killed and five more children critically injured in a knife attack during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class. Starmer warned rioters on Sunday that they would "regret" participating in England's worst disorder in 13 years, while his interior minister Yvette Cooper stated on Monday that "there will be a reckoning". Police attribute the violence to supporters and affiliated organizations of the English Defence League, an organization established 15 years ago with links to football hooliganism.
Some of the most severe incidents occurred in Rotherham, northern England, where masked rioters damaged several windows at a hotel used for housing asylum seekers. At least 10 officers were injured, including one who was rendered unconscious, according to South Yorkshire Police. Large scuffles also took place in Bolton and Middlesbrough, where mobs damaged windows of houses and cars, resulting in 43 arrests. Protesters seized a camera from an AFP crew and destroyed it; however, the journalists were unharmed.
Late Sunday, Staffordshire police reported that another hotel known to shelter asylum seekers was targeted near Birmingham. "A large group of individuals" were involved in "throwing projectiles, smashing windows, starting fires, and targeting police" at the hotel in Tamworth, with one officer injured. The violence poses a significant challenge for Starmer, who was elected just a month ago after leading Labour to a decisive victory over the Conservatives.
Starmer assured that those participating in the disorder would regret their actions, whether directly or through inciting online. He described the situation as "far-right thuggery" with "no justification", promising to bring the perpetrators to justice. MPs from various parties have called for the recall of parliament from its summer break, including former interior minister Priti Patel, Labour MPs Diane Abbott and Dawn Butler, and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. Police reported over 150 arrests over the weekend, with rioters throwing bricks, bottles, and flares at police, looting and burning shops, and shouting slurs during clashes with counter-protesters. This violence is the worst England has witnessed since the summer of 2011, following the police killing of a mixed-race man in north London.
