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Britain has been caught up in an escalating wave of violence, with three little girls being murdered earlier this week. Killed in knife attack In the northwest of England, a wave of Online false information Police mistakenly identified the suspect as an Islamic immigrant.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a former chief prosecutor facing his first crisis since winning the July 4 election, warned rioters they faced long prison sentences as he tried to extinguish the worst violence in Britain in 13 years.
“Our first responsibility is to keep the community safe,” he told the broadcaster.
“They will be safe. We are doing everything we can to ensure that where a police response is needed, police are there and where specific support is needed, police are there.”
In towns and cities, hundreds of rioters clashed with police and smashed windows of hotels hosting asylum seekers from Africa and the Middle East, chanting “get them out” and “stop the boats” – a reference to those arriving in Britain on dinghies.
They also threw stones at mosques, causing fear among the local community, including ethnic minorities, who felt they were being targeted by the violence.
Word on the internet was that immigration centres and law firms helping migrants would be cracked down on on Wednesday, with one posting reading: “Wednesday night guys. They won’t stop coming unless you tell them to.”
In response, anti-racist and anti-fascist groups organized counter-demonstrations in cities and towns across the country.
One typical post about a planned far-right protest in the southern coastal city of Brighton read: “Racist scum is trying to storm an immigration lawyer’s office. We won’t let that happen – wear a mask.”
The government has set up a so-called “standing force” of 6,000 professional police officers to respond to any violence and says its force is sufficient to handle any unrest.
Andy Valentine, deputy assistant commissioner in charge of policing operations in London, said: “This country is facing one of the worst violent disturbances in nearly a decade.
“We will not tolerate this on our streets. We will use every force, strategy and tool we have to prevent further chaos.”
Starmer vowed to punish those who took part in the riots, looting shops and burning cars.
He said more than 400 people had been arrested, 100 had been charged and sentencing was expected to begin soon.
(Reuters)
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