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Sir Keir Starmer has told far-right thugs that there will be no let-up in bringing them to justice, as he held his third emergency Cobra meeting in a week amid concerns there could be a new wave of violence this weekend.
It is understood he told the meeting on Thursday evening that police need to remain on “high alert” so they are prepared for any possible further unrest in the coming days.
His warning came as police chiefs said they believe there has been a “turning point” in the rioting that has scarred Britain’s streets, after a show of mass unity by anti-racist protesters appeared to see off the threat of attacks on asylum centres and rights lawyers.
More rioters were jailed on Thursday, including a couple in Hartlepool who joined a mob after a day playing bingo, and a 69-year-old retired welder in Liverpool who set fire to bins and threw missiles at police.
A “standing army” of around 6,000 police officers is still on standby to tackle any further riots, and officers have carried out a dawn raid on an alleged organiser of the far-right violence.
During a visit to a mosque in Solihull, the prime minister told broadcasters: “We were able to demonstrate the criminal justice system working speedily, so yesterday we saw the sentencing of individuals who had been involved in disorder days ago, some of them getting sentences as long as three years. That sent a very powerful message.”
He said that it was “important that we don’t let up here”.
Violence began when misinformation spread about the alleged killer of three young girls at a dance club in Southport last week. False claims that the suspect was a Muslim immigrant on a government watchlist saw hundreds of far-right activists descend on the Merseyside resort to besiege a mosque under siege, hurl rocks at police and set light to vehicles. The violence then spread to towns and cities across the UK and even saw a hotel in Rotherham set alight with asylum seekers inside.
The chair of the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) Gavin Stephens said the absence of clashes on Wednesday was a “turning point” but added: “We are not complacent because some of those intent on violence are still out there and at a number of events last night we saw them on the fringes watching, spotting, and in my mind probably making a judgement that there’s way too many police and way too many community members who have come out to make a stand on this.”
In a sign that forces are taking allegations of “two-tier policing” seriously, 22 people were arrested on Thursday night in connection with a planned climate protest at Drax power station in North Yorkshire.
There were flashpoints from the other side. A Labour councillor from Dartford in Kent, Ricky Jones, was arrested after a video emerged of a man in a counterdemonstration in Walthamstow calling for people’s throats to be cut. Mr Jones has also been suspended by the Labour Party.
Labour Rochester and Strood MP Lauren Edwards was also caught up in the row over hate after historic tweets emerged from a few years ago with comments directed at “f***ing Estonian retards” and boasting about elbowing a homeless man. She deleted the tweets and apologised for “a significant error of judgement”.
Meanwhile, Nigel Farage weighed in again, doubling down on claims about the Southport alleged killer saying his questions about him being on a watchlist had still not been answered. The original allegation about the alleged killer being on a watchlist by Farage had been linked by some to the misinformation which led to the first riot in Southport.
Mr Farage also reached out to billionaire X boss Elon Musk to complain about mainstream media and political party establishment groupthink on open borders and immigration. Mr Musk himself carried on his war of words with Sir Keir’s government, accusing them of being a “woke stasi” over wanting to prosecute people for spreading hate on his X/Twitter platform.
Despite hopes that the level of violence may be dropping, there are reports of at least five potential clashes this weekend – including claims football hooligans linked to the English Border Front are plotting to protest in Shrewsbury on Saturday as thousands are set to flock to the town’s annual flower show. A market in the town has been cancelled and a Thai food outlet has announced it will be shutting up shop to keep staff safe.
West Mercia Police said there was no confirmed intelligence of any planned unlawful activity, but said it remained “vigilant, prepared and confident” in its ability to respond.
Posts are also being shared on private far-right social media channels promoting potential gatherings in Ballymena in Northern Ireland on Friday, as well as Liverpool, Newcastle and Salford on Saturday, according to reports in The Sun.
Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson confirmed there is intelligence of more extreme-right rallies expected in the next few days.
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