Keir Starmer Pledges to Stop Far-Right Riots

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer reaffirmed his commitment to preventing further far-right unrest in English towns and cities, despite a largely peaceful night on Wednesday.

On Thursday, Starmer announced that he would convene another emergency meeting with senior ministers and police leaders to ensure preparedness for any potential unrest in the coming days.

He emphasized the need to maintain vigilance, stating, “It’s important that we don’t let up here.”

The criminal justice system is also working swiftly to process those arrested during a tumultuous week of riots across England and Northern Ireland.

Several participants in the violence, which targeted mosques, migrant facilities, and police, have already been sentenced by a judge in Liverpool.

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In a visit to Solihull, western England, Starmer met with community leaders at a local mosque, praising the police for their effective deployment and the role they played in calming tensions.

“Police deployed in numbers in the right places, giving reassurance to communities,” he noted, attributing the peaceful night to their efforts.

Instead of far-right protests, thousands of anti-racism and anti-fascism demonstrators took to the streets in cities such as London, Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, and Newcastle.

The rallies were marked by chants of “Whose streets? Our streets!” and were bolstered by a significant police presence, particularly in Walthamstow, northeast London, where pro-Palestine supporters joined the demonstration.

However, Northern Ireland saw its fourth consecutive night of disturbances, leading to five arrests and an injury to a police officer in Belfast.

The UK government had placed 6,000 specialist police on standby across England, ready to respond to potential flashpoints after far-right social media channels called for attacks on immigration-related sites.

The unrest has been fueled by misinformation surrounding a knife attack on July 29 that left three children dead.

Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police chief in London, expressed satisfaction with how the situation was handled, crediting law enforcement and community solidarity to prevent further violence.

“I think the show of force from the police—and, frankly, the show of unity from communities—defeated the challenges we’ve seen,” Rowley said, noting that while a few arrests were made due to anti-social behaviour, the feared far-right disorder was effectively contained.

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