After the riots, thousands of people in Great Britain are taking a stand against right-wing extremist violence. The country is breathing a sigh of relief. But it may still be too early to sound the all-clear.
After the absence of new right-wing extremist riots in England, hopes are growing for a permanent return to normality. New riots were feared in many cities on Wednesday evening – but instead thousands of people took to the streets to protest against hatred and violence. Right-wing extremists hardly showed up. The relief was palpable across the country.
Riots in several cities in England and Northern Ireland had previously kept the country on edge for days. There were attacks on security forces, accommodation for asylum seekers, mosques and shops. Bricks, fence slats and other projectiles were thrown. Cars and buildings were set on fire. Dozens of officers were injured.
According to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the largely peaceful course of the evening was mainly thanks to the police and the judiciary. “I think the fact that we did not see the unrest that we feared last night is due to the fact that we had a lot of police on duty (…),” said the Labour politician.
In addition, the swift prosecution by the judiciary sent a “very strong message”. Nevertheless, he has called another meeting of the national crisis team Cobra, said Starmer.
Some sentences of several years imposed
The riots were triggered by false reports on the Internet about the suspected perpetrator of a knife attack on children in Southport near Liverpool at the end of July, in which three primary school-age girls were killed and other people injured.
The alleged perpetrator was supposedly an irregular immigrant with a Muslim name – but both are false. The suspect is a 17-year-old who was born in Great Britain to Rwandan immigrants.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service, almost 150 people have been charged so far. Almost 500 had previously been arrested. The first convictions resulted in prison sentences of several years.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan thanked the people who demonstrated peacefully and the security forces on X. He added: “And to all the right-wing thugs who still want to sow hatred and division – you will never be welcome.”
Scotland Yard boss speaks of “successful evening”
The relief was also reflected in the newspaper headlines. “The night anti-hate protesters stood up to thugs” was the headline in the conservative tabloid “Daily Mail”, “Thousands take to the streets to confront the threat from the far right” was the headline on the front page of the “Guardian”.
Scotland Yard chief Mark Rowley spoke of a “very successful evening” and praised the commitment of the peaceful counter-protests. “We had thousands of officers on the streets and I think the show of strength and, frankly, the demonstration of unity of the people together overcame the challenges,” Rowley said, according to the BBC.
Organisation: 25,000 took to the streets against violence
According to the organisation Stand Up to Racism, around 25,000 people gathered across the country to protest against far-right violence, including many in the London borough of Walthamstow, east London and the cities of Bristol, Brighton, Liverpool and Sheffield.
Despite the developments, Police Secretary Diana Johnson did not want to give the all-clear. It is good that the violence and crime of the past few days have not been repeated, she told the news channel Sky News, but there have been announcements of further right-wing extremist protests.
Regional parliament in Belfast called to special session
In addition to English cities, riots also broke out in the Northern Irish capital Belfast. The police assume that paramilitary forces were also involved.
More than 25 years after the end of the civil war between Catholics and Protestants, there are still armed factions on both sides in the British part of the country. This time, however, the violence was directed against the police and the Muslim minority, whose shops were targeted.
At a special session of the regional parliament, MPs from both religious camps spoke out clearly against the violence. Co-leader Michelle O’Neill of the Catholic-Republican party Sinn Fein said to the rioters: “We see you, we reject you and we reject your attitudes and actions.”
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
