Aysu Bicer
01 August 2024•Update: 01 August 2024
LONDON
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Thursday the formation of a new national violent disorder unit.
The announcement follows a critical meeting with police chiefs after large-scale unrest erupted in the wake of a fatal stabbing attack in Southport earlier this week that resulted in riots across the country.
The unit is intended to improve intelligence gathering on known "extremist troublemakers" and enhance coordination and rapid response across different regions to prevent and control riots more effectively.
Starmer condemned those responsible for the violence during a news conference at Downing Street and described them as a "tiny, mindless minority in our society."
He also condemned the involvement of "far-right hatred" in inciting the chaos.
Starmer emphasized the need for a robust and agile police response to address the problem.
"These thugs are mobile, they move from community to community, and we must have a police response that can do the same," he said
He emphasized the understandable fear stemming from the recent attack but urged the public to allow families the space to grieve and give authorities the necessary time to carry out their duties.
"There will be a time for questions, and we will make sure that the victims and families are at the heart of that process," he said. "That’s the very least that we owe these families. But we also owe them justice. So, while there’s a prosecution that must not be prejudiced, for them to receive the justice that they deserve, the time for answering those questions is not now.”
Highlighting the importance of an impartial trial, the prime minister noted that "the price for a trial that is prejudiced is ultimately paid by the victims and their families, who are deprived of the justice that they deserve."
'Mosques being attacked because they’re mosques'
Starmer also addressed recent violent actions in Southport, where a gang traveled to the grieving community and attacked police with bricks.
"In the aftermath of the attack, the community of Southport had to suffer twice," he said. "A gang of thugs got on trains and buses, went to a community that is not their own, a community grieving the most horrific tragedy, and then proceeded to throw bricks at police officers -- police officers who just 24 hours earlier had been having to deal with an attack on children in their community."
He also denounced the role of online platforms in fueling the violence, asserting that "violent disorder, clearly whipped up online" constitutes crime rather than protest. He assured the public that the government is committed to taking all necessary actions to maintain public safety and order.
"We will take all necessary action to keep our streets safe," he said.
"Mosques being attacked because they’re mosques -- the far right are showing who they are. We have to show who we are in response to that," he added.
What happened?
A storm of anti-Muslim disinformation on social media has fueled Islamophobic and far-right violence in the wake of a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class Monday that killed three girls.
A mob of up to 300 people, including members of the English Defense League -- an anti-Muslim far-right group -- targeted a mosque in the town near Liverpool late Tuesday, attacking police, torching cars and destroying property.
More than 50 officers sustained injuries, including fractures, cuts and concussions, drawing vehement condemnation from top politicians.
Violence has since spread to other areas, with hundreds of far-right supporters clashing with police in central London late Wednesday, injuring officers and leading to more than 100 arrests.
Police have charged a 17-year-old who was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents with the knife attack.
