British Prime Minister Keir Starmer vows rioters would “regret” engaging in “far-right thuggery” after a sixth day of escalating violence in England as the government announced emergency security for mosques as well the swift judicial action amid the threat of further disorder in next days.
In a televised address to the nation, the prime minister condemned an attack on a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham and promised those involved in unrest would “face the full force of the law”.
Speaking from Downing Street, Starmer, 61, suggested that rioters taking to the streets, and those “whipping up this action online and then running away themselves,” would face consequences.
Meanwhile, the Home Office announced mosques would be offered greater protection under a new “rapid response process” designed to quickly tackle the threat of further attacks on places of worship.
“People in this country have a right to be safe, and yet we’ve seen Muslim communities targeted, attacks on mosques,” the prime minister said.
He said: “Other minority communities singled out, Nazi salutes in the street, attacks on the police, wanton violence alongside racist rhetoric, so no, I won’t shy away from calling it what it is: far-right thuggery.”
The leader of the Labour Party indicated that the response to the violence could mirror elements of how the 2011 riots were handled, at which time he was director of public prosecutions.
“We do have standing arrangements for law enforcement which means that we can get arrests, charge remanded in custody and convictions done very quickly,” he said.
“I myself was part of that in 2011 when I was director of public prosecutions, and I’m determined we will do whatever it takes to bring these thugs to justice as quickly as possible.”
He told reporters that time has been spent over recent days working with police and the justice system to “make sure that the necessary arrangements for law enforcement are in place”.
It means the system can get “arrests, charge, remand and custody and conviction done very quickly”.
“I want you to know that this violent mob do not represent our country and we will bring them to justice,” he said.
Asked whether he thought everyone taking part in the riots were far-right thugs, he said: “If you target people because of the colour of their skin or their face then that is far right and I’m prepared to say so. But it doesn’t matter what apparent motivation there is. This is violence, not protest. It doesn’t matter what the motivation is.”
He hit out at the “marauding gangs intent on breaking the law or worse”, adding: “There is no justification, none, for taking this action and all right-minded people should be condemning this sort of violence.”
It comes as anti-immigration rioters attacked police and smashed the windows of a hotel in Rotherham as the atmosphere turned increasingly febrile on the sixth day of unrest in England.
Masked men launched lengths of wood and sprayed fire extinguishers at officers outside a Holiday Inn Express, with some storming past a police line and into the ground floor, which was set on fire during the disorder.
A police helicopter circled overhead, and at least one injured officer in riot gear was carried away.
Meanwhile,a group of rioters in Middlesbrough smashed the windows of houses and cars and hurled objects at officers on Sunday afternoon.
