UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has come out with strong condemnation of an attack on Sunday (August 5) on a hotel where asylum seekers resided, which left at least 10 police officers injured, and described it as a “far-right thuggery”. More violence spread across the country triggered by a stabbing rampage at a dance class that claimed the lives of three girls and injured several others.
UK PM issues statement
Issuing a statement from 10 Downing Street on Sunday, Starmer vowed that the authorities will “do whatever it takes to bring these thugs to justice". “I guarantee you will regret taking part in this disorder, whether directly or those whipping up this action online and then running away themselves. This is not a protest, it is organised, violent thuggery and it has no place on our streets or online," he said.
His remarks came after another day of far-right violence which was primarily prevalent in the north of England town of Rotherham where the police confronted the challenge of stopping hundreds of rioters who sought to barge into the Holiday Inn Express hotel which was being used as accommodation for asylum-seekers.
The police officials had to use shields to protect themselves from the barrage of missiles, which included bits of wood, chairs and fire extinguishers, fired at them. A large bin close to a window of the hotel was also set alight but the small fire was extinguished.
South Yorkshire Police, which is responsible for Rotherham, said at least 10 officers have been injured, including one who was left unconscious.
“The behaviour we witnessed has been nothing short of disgusting. While it was a smaller number of those in attendance who chose to commit violence and destruction, those who simply stood on and watched remain absolutely complicit in this," said Assistant Chief Constable Lindsey Butterfield.
"We have officers working hard, reviewing the considerable online imagery and footage of those involved, and they should expect us to be at their doors very soon.”
What's going on in the UK?
Far-right agitators have sought to take advantage of last week's stabbing attack by tapping into concerns about the scale of immigration in the UK, in particular the tens of thousands of migrants arriving in small boats from France across the English Channel.
When asked by a resident why they were breaking windows, one man replied, “Because we're English." Hundreds of others squared up to police with shields at the town's cenotaph, throwing bricks, cans and pots at officers. Starmer said anyone targeting people for the colour of their skin or their faith is far-right.
“People in this country have a right to be safe, and yet we've seen Muslim communities targeted, attacks on mosques, other minority communities singled out, Nazi salutes in the street, attacks on the police, wanton violence alongside racist rhetoric, so no, I won't shy away from calling it what it is: far-right thuggery,” he said.
(With AP inputs)
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