UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to hold an emergency response meeting on Monday following a wave of far-right riots across England over the weekend. These riots erupted after the tragic murder of three children last week.
Starmer will chair a Cobra meeting, bringing together ministers and police officials to strategize on quelling the violence that began in Southport, North West England, last Tuesday. The unrest has since led to hundreds of arrests.
The initial violence was triggered by a knife attack during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, where three young girls were killed and five other children were critically injured. The tragedy has since sparked nationwide unrest, with anti-immigration demonstrators clashing with police and, in some cases, Muslim counter-protesters.
On Sunday, Starmer issued a stern warning to far-right protesters, stating they would “regret” their involvement in what has become England’s most severe rioting in 13 years. Interior Minister Yvette Cooper echoed this sentiment on Monday, telling the BBC that “there will be a reckoning.”
Police have attributed the violence to supporters and associated organizations of the English Defence League, an anti-Islam group linked to football hooliganism. Some of the most intense violence occurred on Sunday in Rotherham, Northern England, where masked demonstrators vandalized a hotel housing asylum seekers. South Yorkshire Police reported at least 10 officers were injured, including one who was knocked unconscious.
Further disturbances were reported in Bolton, North West England, and Middlesbrough, North East England, where rioters damaged houses and cars, resulting in 43 arrests. Protesters in Middlesbrough also seized and destroyed a camera from an AFP crew, although the journalists were not injured.
Late on Sunday, Staffordshire Police reported another incident near Birmingham, where a hotel sheltering asylum seekers was targeted. Rioters threw projectiles, smashed windows, started fires, and injured one police officer in Tamworth.
The violence poses a significant challenge for Starmer, who was elected just a month ago after leading Labour to a landslide victory over the Conservatives. In a televised address on Sunday, Starmer condemned the “far-right thuggery,” promising to bring the perpetrators to justice and stating, “I guarantee you will regret taking part in this disorder.”
The recent unrest follows the arrest of over 150 people since Saturday at far-right rallies. Rioters have attacked police with bricks, bottles, and flares, resulting in injuries to several officers. Shops have been looted and burned, and demonstrators have shouted anti-Islamic slurs while clashing with counter-protesters.
The violence is the worst England has seen since the summer of 2011, when widespread rioting followed the police killing of a mixed-race man in North London. In response to the current unrest, Christian, Muslim, and Jewish leaders in Liverpool have issued a joint appeal for calm.
Authorities have noted that the initial violence was partly fueled by false rumors on social media about the background of 17-year-old suspect Axel Rudakubana, who is accused of the murders. Cooper remarked on Monday that social media had acted as a “rocket booster” for the violence.
Agitators have also targeted at least two mosques, prompting the government to offer new emergency security measures for Islamic places of worship. The far-right rallies have been organized under the banner “Enough is enough” on social media, with participants waving English and British flags and chanting slogans such as “Stop the boats,” referring to irregular migrants crossing the Channel from France.
While not all gatherings have turned violent, with a peaceful demonstration in Aldershot on Sunday featuring placards reading “Stop the invasion” and “We’re not far right, we’re just right,” the overall situation remains tense. The recent election saw the hard-right Reform UK party, led by Brexit advocate Nigel Farage, capture 14 percent of the vote, marking one of the largest vote shares for a far-right party in British history.
