UK riots escalate as leaders address surge in anti-immigrant violence

Riots are erupting in various cities across the United Kingdom following a stabbing attack in Southport. The government responded by organizing an extraordinary COBRA meeting on Monday. The Home Secretary said prisons are "ready" to accommodate the "thuggish minority" inciting chaos across the country.

Incidents where people take to the streets and attack the police have been occurring for a week in different districts of London and other British cities. This wave of discontent began with the knife attack by a 17-year-old on children attending classes at a dance school in the seaside town of Southport.

Three girls died: 6-year-old Bebe King, 7-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, and 9-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar. Five other people were injured. Armed officers detained the perpetrator. 17-year-old Axel Muganwa Rudakubana has been charged with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder.

His crime sparked a wave of anti-immigrant demonstrations. Radical right-wing groups are attacking shops, libraries, and cafes, burning cars, and throwing projectiles at police officers. There is unrest in several towns in England, as well as in Belfast in Northern Ireland.

In the town of Tamworth near Birmingham in the West Midlands, demonstrators attacked a hotel over the weekend where migrants seeking asylum were housed. So far, more than 150 people have been arrested nationwide.

In connection with the riots sweeping the country, a COBRA emergency committee meeting is being held on Monday. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, who is leading the meeting, said those involved in hurting police officers, attacking mosques, and causing damage belong to "a thuggish minority."

"They do not speak for our communities. It's a total disgrace and there has to be a reckoning. Those individuals who are involved in the disorder need to know that they will pay a price. We have made very clear to the police they have our full support in pursuing the full range of prosecutions and penalties, including the serious prison sentences, long term tagging, travel bans and more ," said Home Secretary Cooper.

Her predecessor, James Cleverly, who left his post on July 5 of this year, noted that the government could have taken "key decisions" earlier to address the violent riots in the United Kingdom. In a conversation with the BBC, Cleverly pointed to the critical role that social media plays in spreading hatred and riots.

Oliver Coppard, Labour Party mayor of South Yorkshire, claims he has been "appalled" by the brutal scenes in the United Kingdom, including in Rotherham in his county, in recent days. Over the weekend, Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the attack on the hotel housing asylum seekers. He promised that those involved in the attack would be held accountable "to the full force of the law."

Two Holiday Inn Express hotels became targets of attacks. In Rotherham, demonstrators stormed one of the hotels, set fire to furniture, and smashed windows. No injuries were reported among hotel staff or residents. In the second hotel, in Tamworth, a police officer was injured.

Riots and anti-immigrant protests, during which shops are looted, cars are destroyed, and fireworks and petrol bombs are set off, began with the circulation of information that the 17-year-old assailant is a Muslim and a refugee. He allegedly arrived in the United Kingdom by boat in 2023, but this narrative is not confirmed.