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British police are bracing for riots tonight. As a result, authorities have mobilized around 6,000 specially trained officers. They fear riots in at least eight cities – with London at the centre.
A list of possible targets during the unrest circulated on the internet. On the list were organisations that support or defend asylum seekers in court, and there were calls on Wednesday evening/afternoon to attack these targets.
“It is totally unacceptable to intimidate charities and lawyers working legitimately. These criminals are breaking the law – and we will stop them,” said London Police Commissioner Mark Rowley.
Police forces across the country were braced for more than 100 far-right demonstrations, but there were far more counter-protesters. In London, more than 5,000 people gathered in Walthamstow, holding banners reading “Boycott Tommy Robinson” and “Refugees Welcome”.
Hundreds of counter-protesters also gathered outside an immigration advice centre in Brentford and the old fire station in Hackney. Large counter-demonstrations also took place in Birmingham, Sheffield, Liverpool, Newcastle, Bristol and Brighton.
About 50 far-right protesters turned up in Southampton but their chants were drowned out by about 400 counter-protesters who chanted “There are so many more of us than you.” The largest far-right demonstration took place in Portsmouth, where men draped in St George’s Cross flags blocked roads and clashed with police.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a tough crackdown following a meeting of the National Crisis Group on Tuesday. He told reporters he expected “strong condemnation” from rioters this week. “This should send a strong message to anyone who participated, either directly or online, that they will be held to account within a week.”
The first sentences have been handed down in relation to the riots. Liverpool Crown Court heard that a 58-year-old man has been jailed for three years. He took part in the riots in the north-west English town of Southport and punched a police officer in the face. A 29-year-old boy has been jailed for two and a half years for setting fire to a police car during the Liverpool riots. A 41-year-old man who took part in the Liverpool riots and assaulted police officers will also be jailed for 20 months. All three men admitted the charges, so the verdicts are expected in a few days. In total, more than 400 people have been arrested and around 100 have been charged since the riots began.
The unrest has been raging in the UK for several days, sparked by a stabbing in Southport, near Liverpool, at the end of July that killed three little girls. Some sources said the perpetrator was an illegal immigrant with a Muslim name, but this is incorrect. The suspect is a 17-year-old young man born in Wales to Rwandan immigrant parents. Soon after the crime, fake news spread on social media, mainly by right-wing extremists.
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