Hotels with asylum seekers and mosques are being targeted by right-wing extremists. Can the government in London get the situation under control?
The British government wants to deal with the violent riots by right-wing extremists in the country with a firm hand. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced after a meeting of the Cobra crisis team that he would set up a “standing army of specialised officers” to deal with the riots. In addition, the prosecution procedures are to be accelerated. Hundreds of arrests have already been made and some have already appeared in court, said Starmer.
The prime minister added that rioters should also be publicly pilloried: “I have asked that those involved be identified by name as soon as possible. They will feel the full force of the law.”
In the course of the riots in English and Northern Irish cities in recent days, several police officers have been injured, vehicles have been set on fire and buildings have been attacked.
Two hotels that are said to be housing asylum seekers were attacked at the weekend. Hundreds of rioters gathered in front of a hotel in Rotherham in the county of South Yorkshire on Sunday, smashed windows and set fires.
A police spokeswoman spoke of a “particularly disgusting moment when a garbage can was pushed against the hotel and set on fire with the clear intention of causing serious harm to the residents and staff.” The police were attacked with projectiles. Similar scenes took place in the evening at a hotel in Tamworth near Birmingham.
In addition to hotels, the rioters also targeted mosques. The Interior Ministry announced that it would better protect places of worship from attacks. The right-wing extremist rioters are taking the deadly attack on a Taylor Swift dance class in Southport near Liverpool last Monday as an opportunity, in which three children were killed and several people were seriously injured.
False reports had previously been spread on the Internet that the alleged attacker was an asylum seeker with a Muslim name. The police contradicted this.
The suspect’s name has now been released. He is a 17-year-old born in Great Britain whose parents are from Rwanda. The motive for the crime is unclear.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper also announced a decisive approach to criminal behaviour on the internet. The organisation of the riots, the fuelling of tensions and the spread of false information were greatly facilitated by social media, the politician told the news channel Sky News.
“We also expect action against those who have posted criminal material and will ensure that social media companies take responsibility,” Cooper added.
A government spokesman declined to comment specifically on the activities of convicted right-wing extremist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson, who is considered the most prominent right-wing extremist in Britain and who stirs up prejudice on social media. However, he said it cannot be ruled out that state actors are also behind the spread of false information by bots on the Internet.
The riots are the first test for the head of government, who has only been in office for a month. Starmer seems well prepared for this. He was head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) when English cities were shaken by serious riots in August 2011.
