A UN agency has issued a statement following a series of far-right riots throughout England and Northern Ireland.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and UK for UNHCR issued a joint statement condemning the violence which it said was “fuelled by hatred”.
It comes as a number of countries have issued safety warnings to their citizens in the UK after nearly a week of far-right riots following the stabbing of three young girls in Southport.
In a statement on Twitter/X, the UK for UNHCR said: “We are shocked by the violence witnessed in the UK over the past few days, including targeted attacks against asylum seekers.
“The spread of disinformation and misinformation, fuelled by hatred and prejudice, has real-life consequences and must be addressed.”
Riots have taken place in various cities in England since the Southport attack, including London, Middlesbrough and Rotherham – where a mob of masked rioters tried to set fire to a hotel housing asylum seekers.
Downing Street was also forced to issue a statement on misinformation following the stabbing in Southport as it was claimed online that the suspect was a “Muslim immigrant” while others wrongly claimed he was an asylum seeker who arrived in the UK by boat.
Meanwhile, Nigeria, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and the UAE have all issued warnings to its citizens in the UK.
A “travel alert” issued by Nigeria’s ministry of foreign affairs, based in the country’s capital Abuja, states there is an “increased risk of violence and disorder occasioned by the recent riots in the UK,” noting that “the violence has assumed dangerous proportions”.
It added that far-right demonstrations have been “large, and in some instances unruly”.
The High Commission of Nigeria, based in London, said it is “closely monitoring” the riots while Malaysia’s ministry of foreign affairs said anyone “residing or travelling to the UK are urged to stay away from protest areas and remain vigilant”.
More than 400 people have been arrested since the riots first started last Tuesday.
The Australian government has urged travellers to the UK to “exercise a high degree of caution” while the UAE said an “unstable security situation in various cities across the UK” could put travellers at risk.
On Tuesday morning, the Indian High Commission in London stated it is “closely monitoring the situation” and advised Indian visitors to remain vigilant.
