Freshly minted British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will convene an emergency meeting with police chiefs on Monday following a turbulent week of riots across the kingdom, ignited by the brutal murder of three young girls last week. The tragedy has unleashed a wave of violent protests by far-right activists, targeting immigrants with arson attacks on buildings and cars, attempts to vandalize mosques, and assaults on hostels housing asylum seekers.
The unrest began after a horrifying stabbing spree in Southport a week ago. A 17-year-old boy from a nearby village attacked a Taylor Swift dance workshop for girls, killing three – ages 6, 7, and 9 – and injuring eight more girls and two adults. False reports that the murderer was a Muslim immigrant fueled anti-immigration protests, which started in Southport and quickly spread to other cities. To date, 420 people have been arrested, and dozens of police officers have been injured in clashes where some protesters are hurling bricks. Police have clarified that the murderer is a British native and that there is no suspicion of terrorism in the investigation.
Starmer has blamed the violence on "far-right thuggery," vowing to end the chaos and promising additional resources for the British police to restore order. He accused far-right rioters of exploiting Britain's grief over the stabbings to sow hatred and assured that they would face full prosecution. "People in this country have the right to be safe, and yet we have seen attacks against Muslim communities, against mosques, and against other minority communities, Nazi salutes in the street, attacks on the police, and reckless far-right violence alongside racist rhetoric. I am not afraid to say this isfar-right thuggery," Starmer said.
Britain's Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, stated the rioters are exploiting the situation "to incite racial hatred." During the unrest, the rioters looted shops and attacked mosques and businesses owned by people of Asian descent. According to the police, many of the riots are organized by far-right groups recruiting activists online. Starmer noted that the rioters in Southport do not even reside in the city.
In recent days, the riots that began in Southport have spread to Liverpool, Bristol, Middlesbrough, Tamworth and even Belfast in Northern Ireland. Young, masked protesters wrapped in British flags are throwing stones and chanting "Stop the boats" – a reference to the migrant boats arriving in recent years on Britain's southern coast.
In Britain, it is uncommon to disclose the identities of detainees under 18, but in an attempt to quell the wave of rumors on social media and prevent the spread of the riots, a judge permitted the publication of the murderer's name: Axel Rodenkovna, a British native with parents from Wales and Rwanda, who has no connection to Islam. However, the publication of his name did not stop the disorder.
British media have accused far-right leader Steven Yaxley-Lennon of spreading the false rumors. Yaxley-Lennon, known by the alias Tommy Robinson, led the "English Defense League," an anti-Muslim organization established about 15 years ago and now banned. The organization has close ties to hooligans who incite violence at football matches. Robinson has 875,000 followers on the X platform.
"They are lying to everyone," claimed Robinson. "They are trying to incite the nation against me. I need you; you are my voice," he wrote to his followers. Robinson, 41, was suspended from Twitter in 2018, but the suspension was lifted after Elon Musk purchased the social network.
Last week, Britain issued an arrest warrant for Robinson after he failed to appear for a court hearing and left the kingdom. The hearing was about lies Robinson spread about a Syrian refugee. The British media reported that Robinson is currently on vacation in Cyprus, from where he continues to publish inciting tweets and calls on his supporters to protest in the streets – a week after the murder of the three girls in Southport.