British Prime Minister Starmer promises to punish rioters

Violent protests have erupted in towns and cities across the UK after three girls were killed in a knife attack at a children's dance class in Southport, northwest England, last week.

The killings have been exploited by anti-immigration and anti-Muslim groups as misinformation spread that the attacker was an immigrant and a radical Muslim. Police said the suspect was born in the UK and are not treating the incident as a terrorist incident.

Riots in Rotherham, UK on August 4, 2024. Photo: Reuters

Protests spread to cities across the country, including Liverpool, Bristol and Manchester on Saturday, with dozens of people arrested as shops and businesses were vandalized and looted, and several police officers injured.

Hundreds of anti-immigration protesters gathered at a hotel near Rotherham on Sunday, which the UK Home Secretary said was housing asylum seekers.

A witness said protesters, many wearing masks or hoods, threw bricks at police and broke several hotel windows before setting fire to a large rubbish bin near the hotel.

"I utterly condemn the far-right thuggery we saw this weekend," Mr Starmer said in a statement, adding that it was criminal violence rather than a legitimate protest. "Those who took part in this violence will face the full force of the law."

Riots in Bolton, UK on August 4, 2024. Photo: Reuters

The National Police Chiefs' Council said 147 people had been arrested since Saturday evening and more were expected in the coming days. Mr Starmer, who took office a month ago, said people were "absolutely terrified" of "gangs of looters" in Rotherham.

Local police said 10 officers were injured in Rotherham in clashes with a crowd of 700, some of whom threw wooden planks and sprayed fire extinguishers at officers before smashing hotel windows.

Mosques will have increased security under new arrangements after receiving a number of threats, including in Middlesbrough, the Home Office said.

Local police also advised people to stay away from the area around a hotel in Tamworth, central England, as "a large group of people were in the area and were throwing objects, smashing windows, setting fires and targeting police. One police officer was injured".

The last time violent protests broke out across the UK was in 2011 when thousands took to the streets after police shot dead a black man in London. Prime Minister Starmer was the country's chief prosecutor at the time.

Bui Huy (according to Reuters, CNN, AP)

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