Anti-immigration unrest hits parts of Britain
Recasts with Sunday's protests
LONDON, Aug 4 (Reuters) -Anti-immigration protesters broke hotel windows and set bins on fire in northern England on Sunday in the latest wave of unrest that has presented a major test to new Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government.
Violent protests involving hundreds of anti-immigration protesters have erupted in towns and cities across Britain after three girls were killed in a knife attack at a children's dance class in Southport in northwest England last week.
The murders were seized on by anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim groups as misinformation spread that the suspected attacker was an immigrant and a radical Islamist. Police have said the suspect was born in Britain. Media reports have said his family is Christian.
Violent disorder broke out in cities around the country on Saturday, including Liverpool, Bristol and Manchester, resulting in dozens of arrests as shops and businesses were vandalised and looted and several police were injured, police statements said. The government has promised tough action against people taking part in the violence.
On Sunday, hundreds of anti-immigration protesters gathered by a hotel that has been used to house asylum seekers near Rotherham, northern England.
The protesters threw bricks at police and broke several hotel windows, a Reuters witness said, before setting bins on fire. Dozens of other protesters gathered by another such hotel in Aldershot, southern England.
In both Rotherham and the north-west town of Lancaster, there were anti-racist counterprotesters, with police keeping the two groups apart.
As protests began in Bolton, near Manchester, police said that a dispersal notice had been authorised to give officers extra powers to tackle anti-social behaviour.
Chief Inspector Natasha Evans of Greater Manchester Police said police there would continue to mount an increased police presence to deal with any incidents.
The weekend's protests followed several days of disorder.
Starmer, a former chief prosecutor who took office a month ago after his Labour Party won a decision election victory over the long-ruling Conservatives, has said the unrest isthe result of deliberate actions by the far-right, co-ordinated by a "group of individuals who are absolutely bent on violence," rather than legitimate protest.
Interior minister Yvette Cooper said on Saturday said that "those who engage in criminal disorder face the strongest possible penalties".
The last time violent protests erupted across Britain was in 2011 when thousands of people took to the streets after police shot dead a Black man in London.
Reporting by Suzanne Plunkett in Aldershot, Belinda Jiao in Bolton and other Reuters photographers
Writing by Alistair Smout
Editing by Jane Merriman and Frances Kerry
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
