British police officials are ready to handle another night of violence amid concerns that far-right groups plan to target as many as 30 locations around the United Kingdom.
UK authorities are mobilising about 6,000 trained officers this week to respond to disorder throughout the UK, and London’s Metropolitan Police Service said on Wednesday it would do “everything in our power” to protect the capital.
“We know about the events planned by hateful and divisive groups across the capital,” Deputy Assistant Commissioner Andy Valentine of the Met said.
“They’ve made their intention to cause disruption and division very clear … We will not tolerate this on our streets.”
According to media reports, UK cities and towns across have been wracked by violence for the past week as angry mobs egged on by far-right extremists have clashed with police and counter-demonstrators.
Meanwhile, leaders of the Muslim community have advised calm, urging followers not to become victims of any instigation at the hands of far-right rioters.
Notably, the violence was sparked by the spread of misinformation about the identity of the suspect in a recent stabbing rampage that led to the killing of three young girls in Southport.
The suspect was falsely identified as an immigrant and a Muslim.
According to media reports, rioters spouting anti-immigrant slogans have attacked mosques and hotels housing asylum-seekers, with reports emerging of violent counterattacks in some communities.
Internet chat groups have shared a list of law firms specialising in immigration and advice agencies as possible targets for gatherings on Wednesday.
The messages have invited people to “mask up” if attending.
Police have already made more than 400 arrests around the country, and the government has pledged to prosecute and jail those responsible for the disorder.
The prosecutions of those who have admitted taking part in the unrest are already underway, as authorities warned severe sentences would be handed out for causing trouble.
Among the first to be sentenced was Derek Drummond, 58, who was sentenced to three years in prison after admitting to violent disorder and punching a police officer in the face in Southport on July 30.
He was one of three men to be jailed in cases heard at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
