London: Britain's King Charles III has finally ended his silence on the violent far-right protests across the United Kingdom that targeted the Muslim community and migrants, calling for mutual respect and understanding while thanking the police for their efforts to restore, according to a Buckingham Palace on Friday. The UK has entered into a period of calm after riots broke out following a knife attack in Southport that killed three girls.
The spokesperson said the King thanked police and emergency services for their efforts to restore peace and welcomed the way that community groups had countered "the aggression and criminality from a few... It remains His Majesty's hope that shared values of mutual respect and understanding will continue to strengthen and unite the nation". The monarch also held telephonic talks with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and police chiefs.
The violence erupted last Tuesday after social media posts said the suspected attacker in Southport, who fatally stabbed three girls and injured 10 others, was a radical Islamist who had just arrived in Britain and was known to intelligence services. However, police said the 17-year-old suspect was born in Britain and they are not treating it as a terrorist incident. The suspect's parents had moved to Britain from Rwanda.
There had previously been criticism of the lack of an intervention by the King, according to BBC. "We're told the monarch is supposed to be a figurehead who unites the nation, yet when the nation is in crisis he's nowhere to be seen," said Graham Smith, leader of the anti-monarchy group, Republic.
Anti-racist demonstrators enter the fray
Protests, mostly involving a few hundred people, have continued across the country, with shops looted and mosques and Asian-owned businesses attacked. Cars have been set on fire and some unverified videos on social media have shown ethnic minorities being beaten up. After days of rioting, Starmer said extra police numbers and swift justice had deterred people he referred to as "far-right thugs".
However, anti-racist demonstrators far outnumbered anti-immigrant protesters in several locations. "I work with people of different origins and they have only been kind to me – we are all equals," said Emilia Finch, 22, speaking outside a hotel in Crawley, southern England, where asylum seekers are housed. "There is no reason why anyone should be treated any different for their skin colour."
By Friday evening, 741 arrests had been made since the riots broke out and 302 people had been charged. Two of those given sentences were jailed for stirring up racial hatred in messages on social media. Police said arrests would continue for months. The National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) said more than 6,000 public order-trained officers would be on duty over the weekend.
Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known by the pseudonym Tommy Robinson and previously the leader of the defunct anti-Islam English Defence League, has been blamed by media for spreading misinformation to his 875,000 followers on X. "They are lying to you all," Yaxley-Lennon said. "Attempting to turn the nation against me. I need you, you are my voice."
(with Reuters inputs)
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