LONDON: The UK government said on Tuesday that 6,000 specialist police were ready to deal with far-right rioting after another night of destructive troubles in English cities.

The government has also increased its prison capacity to help tackle violent, week-long anti-Muslim riots that have prompted a growing number of countries to warn their citizens about the dangers of travelling in Britain.

“My message to anyone who chooses to take part in this violence and thuggery is simple: the police, courts and prisons stand ready and you will face the consequences of your appalling acts,” Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said.

The justice department, which is due to release some prisoners early as it battles a jail overcrowding crisis, said nearly 600 prison places had been secured to accommodate those engaged in violence. About 400 people have been arrested so far.

Govt expands jail capacity to house anti-Muslim rioters

On Monday, six people were arrested and several police officers injured when they were attacked by rioters hurling bricks and fireworks in Plymouth, southern England.

Officers in Belfast, Northern Ireland, were attacked as rioters attempted to set fire to a shop owned by a foreign national. Police said a man in his 30s was seriously assaulted and that they are treating the incident as a racially motivated hate crime.

Unrest broke out last Tuesday after three children were killed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, northwest England.

There have been hundreds of arrests around riots that have flared up since. Justice minister Heidi Alexander told BBC Radio that the government had freed up an extra 500 prison places and drafted in 6,000 specialist police officers to deal with the violence.

False rumours

Mobs threw bricks and flares, attacked police, burnt and looted shops, smashed the windows of cars and homes and targeted at least two hotels housing asylum seekers at the weekend.

Clashes broke out in Southport the day after three young girls were killed and five more children critically injured during the knife attack there. False rumours initially spread on social media saying the attacker was a Muslim asylum seeker.

The suspect was later identified as 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana, born in Wales. UK media reported that his parents are from Rwanda.

That has not stopped mosques from being targeted by rioters and the government has offered extra security to Islamic places of worship.

In Burnley, northwest England, a hate crime investigation was underway after gravestones in a Muslim section of a cemetery were vandalised with grey paint.

Police have blamed the violence on people associated with the now-defunct English Defence League, a far-right Islamophobic organisation founded 15 years ago, whose supporters have been linked to football hooliganism.

The rallies have been advertised on far-right social media channels under the banner “Enough is enough”.

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2024