A summary of today’s developments
Prime minister Keir Starmer has promised communities “will be safe” following a Cobra meeting on Tuesday evening and said those taking part in unrest will “feel the full force of the law”. Starmer added he was expecting “substantive sentencing before the end of this week”.
More than 400 people have been arrested in connection with rioting over the last week. There have been around a hundred charges in the wake of the spread of violent unrest, according to the director of public prosecutions, Stephen Parkinson. He also said that he is “willing” to consider charging some rioters with terrorism offences.
The government has introduced more than 500 additional prison places in response to the far-right riots, the justice minister Heidi Alexander has said, warning that those causing disorder will have a “prison place waiting for them”.
The Metropolitan Police has vowed to protect London from “one of the worst spates of violent disorder in the last decade”, as more protests are due to take place on Wednesday.
A man has become the first suspect to be convicted of stirring up racial hatred during the riots after posting messages on Facebook about attacking a hotel housing asylum seekers. Jordan Parlour pleaded guilty to using threatening words or behaviour to stir up racial hatred after making advocating an attack on a hotel in Leeds. The 28-year-old has been remanded in custody ahead of his sentencing on Friday.
Courts in England “could possibly” sit through the night to swiftly see rioters in the dock, Alexander also said.
An extra 2,200 riot trained officers will be deployed to combat the extremist rightwing-led violence that has erupted since last week, police chiefs announced.
People stamped on a man’s head in an attack that police are treating as a hate crime during another night of rioting in Belfast in Northern Ireland. The man, who is in his 50s, remains in hospital in serious condition.
Online spaces that are being used to incite and organise the far-right-led riots contain messages encouraging followers to consider Jewish people as a target, community security experts have warned. One forum, which was key to organising the first protest that turned into a riot last Tuesday in Southport, is allegedly jointly run by a suspected neo-Nazi. He is believed to be based overseas.
Elon Musk called the prime minister “two-tier Keir” in reference to the conspiracy theory that police are treating white far-right “protesters” more harshly than minority groups. Downing Street would not engage again with the billionaire owner of X, having previously said his comments about a potential civil war in the UK had “no justification”. Since that criticism, Musk has been repeatedly targeting Keir Starmer on his social media platform. However, the Guardian understands Labour MPs have been privately warned not to engage in debate on Twitter about the far-right violence and to instead amplify calls for unity.
A total of 51 police officers were injured during the riots outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham, Yorkshire, on Sunday. South Yorkshire Police said a number of its officers sustained broken bones, a concussion, head wounds and bruising.
An assault on a young boy in Belfast is being investigated as a hate crime by police.
Officers said a large group of young people threw eggs at a shop on the Falls Road at 6.10pm on Tuesday.
They said a young boy was also assaulted by up to 10 youths and sustained a minor facial injury.
People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll, who attended the scene, said the community was “disgusted” by the incident.
Police have appealed to witnesses to get in touch through the online form on their website or contact Crimestoppers anonymously.
