Rioters will face a ‘reckoning’ after far-right yobs across the country torched hotels, attacked police and brought chaos to the streets of Britain, the Home Secretary warned.
Yvette Cooper slammed actions taken by rioters this week as ‘disgraceful thuggery’, after more than 420 people were arrested, as she warned ‘many more will follow’ as authorities scour CCTV footage to identify all those involved.
Clashes, sparked by the murder of three little girls in Southport last Monday, deteriorated further yesterday when a second migrant hotel was set ablaze in Tamworth, while hundreds cheered and clinked beers outside.
While in Middlesbrough the protestors were filmed stopping traffic to interrogate the passengers to check they are ‘white and English’.
Keir Starmer also waded in to warn far-Right rioters ‘you’ll regret taking part’ as he tried to stamp his authority over the first major test of his Premiership.
He blasted ‘far-Right thuggery’, for which he promised swift justice as he is expected to call a COBRA meeting today.
Meanwhile, the Tories were forced to reprimanded Shadow Wales Secretary Lord Davies of Gower after The Mail on Sunday columnist Dan Hodges said there was ‘no political justification’ for the riots and Lord Davies retorted: ‘ Labour blocked the Rwanda Bill 130+ times, of course it’s politically justified!’
This comes as:
- Rioters descend on second migrant hotel as far-right mob try to set fire to Holiday Inn housing asylum seekers in Tamworth
- Tommy Robinson suns himself at an all-inclusive five-star hotel in Cyprus while his foot soldiers run riot in violent protests
- The Tory Police and Crime Commissioner claimed far-right protesters are trying to ‘protect Britain’s sovereignty and identity’
- Malaysia becomes the first country issues warning over travelling to the UK amid the violent protests
- The Tories were forced to reprimanded Shadow Wales Secretary after he justified the rioting by saying: ‘ Labour blocked the Rwanda Bill 130+ times, of course it’s politically justified!’
ROTHERHAM: Police defend themselves as far-right thugs launch planks of wood on Sunday
ROTHERHAM: Violent thugs yesterday attacked a hotel reported to be housing asylum seekers
ROTHERHAM: A rioter throws blocks of concrete towards a hotel on Sunday
Writing in the Times the Home Secretary held nothing back when she said: ‘Make no mistake: there will be a reckoning for the individuals who took part in this violence, those who whipped them up on social media and in online forums and those who have felt emboldened by this moment to stir up racial hatred.’
Ms Cooper made clear that the crackdown would also cover those spreading misinformation online.
This came after Tommy Robinson posted a video of a confrontation in Stoke and claimed two protesters had been stabbed ‘by Muslims’.
The post was viewed two million times on X.
Two hours later, Staffordshire Police confirmed the information was false. Those injured were hit by something thrown by their own side.
Actor Laurence Fox has also shared a string of false claims. On Friday night, he posted a list of dozens of acts of violence he alleged had been committed by immigrants under the caption: ‘Anyone else had enough?’
Among them was the claim that a ‘woman [was] beaten to death by two Somalis while walking her dog’ – understood to have been a reference to last month’s murder of Anita Rose, 57, in Brantham, Suffolk.
Three people have been arrested in connection with the murder, but Suffolk Police last night confirmed Fox’s tweet was not correct.
Hundreds of people gathered as a group of masked thugs threw a burning bush inside the side entrance of the Hotel Inn Express, Leisure Island, in Tamworth yesterday evening.
‘Get out England’ was graffitied on the side of the building, as police worked to extinguish the fire inside the hotel’s stairwell.
Some people could be heard chanting ‘England, England, England,’ while others threw objects at police and set off flares and fireworks. One man could be seen running towards police with what appeared to be a large speaker.
Officers clad in riot gear were seen standing in a line guarding the entrance to the hotel. One police officer has suffered a suspected broken arm.
Police have said the violent disorder has been ‘successfully dispersed’ as they appeal to anyone with information to help identify those responsible.
A group of protesters were kept apart from counter protesters in Bolton this afternoon
A fire extinguisher is sprayed at riot police in Rotherham
Property is vandalised as far-right activists in Middlesbrough
Protesters try to cram into the migrant hotel through a damaged fire exit in Rotherham
Riot police clash with anti-migration protesters outside of the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, which is being used as an asylum hotel
ROTHERHAM: Police have been trying to fend off agitators outside the hotel yesterday
Yvette Cooper slammed actions taken by rioters this week, as more than 420 people have been arrested, warning ‘many more will follow’ as authorities scour CCTV footage for criminals
Starmer blasted ‘far-Right thuggery’, for which he promised swift justice amid another day of violent scenes nationwide.
He is today expected to hold an emergency COBRA Cabinet meeting, attended by police chiefs, in a bid to ensure the crisis does not spiral further out of control.
He also opened the door yesterday to tougher sentences to act as a ‘deterrent’, saying he will do ‘whatever it takes’ to crack down on the violence. He said the sentences would mirror action taken to deal with thuggery during the 2011 riots, when he was Director of Public Prosecutions.
An asylum seeker who was staying at the Holiday Inn in Tamworth when it was set alight, told the Times of his terror as he was beaten up by the mob when they broke in.
‘They came onto this floor and hit me until the police drove them down the corridor.’
While another 55-year-old Palestinian said his window was pelted with rocks thrown at his window.
‘I was taking some tea when they ran down shouting f***, f***, f***. A shirtless man was shouting and making so much noise. They broke the windows. There were eight on my floor.’
While John Woodcock, a former Labour MP, called for MI6, MI5 and GCHQ to be given additional powers that would allow them to ask social media firms to take down accounts that try to ‘fan the flames of British extreme actors’.
Malaysia has become the first country to warn its citizens about the dangers of visiting Britain at the moment.
The statement released by Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: ‘Malaysians residing in or travelling to the United Kingdom are urged to stay away from protest areas, remain vigilant and follow the latest updates and guidance provided by local authorities.’
More than 300 protesters started marching through Middlesbrough after gathering at the city’s Cenotaph.
The thugs chanted ‘We want our country back’ as they made their way through the city centre, before at least two people were taken away in handcuffs.
Police officers stand near the broken windows of the hotel during an anti-immigration protest
ROTHERHAM: Police try to control the deplorable violence after a mob attacked a hotel
Police officers detain a protester who broke through the police line
A thug throws a brick at a parked car during an anti-immigration protest in Middlesbrough
Police have said that there was a ‘staggering’ surge of violence which led to 35 people being arrested in Middlesbrough on Sunday.
Rioters smashed the windows of houses and cars and hurled objects at officers, with one seen shouting a racial slur and another telling police: ‘It’s our f****** country.’
There was significant damage to the crown court, the university and a number of properties in the Parliament Road area.
Cleveland Police said it has now arrested 55 people because of the violence that has swept across Teesside as 20 suspects were also arrested after rioting in Hartlepool on Wednesday.
Assistant Chief Constable David Felton said: ‘The level of violence we have seen today is staggering.
‘We know the shocking scenes across Middlesbrough today will have caused alarm amongst communities.
‘I want to reassure the people of Teesside that we will continue to identify those involved in these acts of violence and arrest them and put them before the courts.’
At one point police used dogs to keep the group back and stop them breaking through and running ahead of the officers patrolling the march. Several pieces of slate were also thrown, along with vapes and full plastic bottles.
Some people kicked bollards into the road so that police vehicles driving ahead of the group could not get through, and one man sat on the bonnet of a police car to stop it moving.
In Bolton, Greater Manchester, violent clashes between protesters and police broke out, with footage showing the activists pushing against officers who had formed a human barricade.
There was also an counter protest in Bolton, where it was reported that large groups of Asian men could be heard shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ as they clashed with the far-right.
Last night experts condemned the ‘dangerous’ behaviour and also called for stricter action against those spreading misinformation.
Festus Akinbusoye, a former police and crime commissioner, said: ‘Of course there are discussions to be had about the level of immigration, the type of immigration and issues like integration.
‘But misinformation and xenophobic narratives are wrong, irresponsible and dangerous. These actions are having real world consequences and the people spreading dangerous lies need to be brought to book.’
MIDDLESBROUGH: A car burns on Parliament Road after it was set alight by far-right thugs
MIDDLESBROUGH: Police raced off with far-right agitators on Parliament Road yesterday
A man is detained as Far-right activists hold a demonstration in Middlesbrough
An anti-immigration protester wearing a Union Jack mask outside of the Holiday Inn Express
An aerial view of the anti-migration protesters stand outside of the Holiday Inn Express
Counter-protesters shout at police officers as they push against a cordon in Bolton
Objects thrown at the hotel as trouble flares during an anti-immigration protest outside the Holiday Inn Express
LIVERPOOL: Police officers attend to a shell-shocked colleague after a face-off with protesters on Saturday
Mr Akinbusoye, who was Britain’s first black PCC, added: ‘Our entire criminal justice system is going to have to be revisited in terms of how the authorities are going to be able to legitimately counter and pre-empt these narratives.
‘I understand that police forces need to be careful about what they put into the public domain but they need to… publish safe information whenever possible.’
Tory leadership hopeful Mel Stride said the scrapping of pilots of rapid-response police units, introduced by the Tories last March, may make it harder to tackle the current disorder.
It comes after an angry far-right mob stormed into a hotel in Rotherham yesterday, hurling chairs and spraying fire extinguishers at riot police, while setting bins, a generator and furniture alight.
Around 700 violent anti-immigration protesters clad in balaclavas and draped in St George’s flags clashed with officers trying to protect the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham, South Yorkshire since around 2pm this afternoon.
At least 10 officers have been injured in the chaos outside the hotel on the northern outskirts of the post-industrial town. One was left unconscious following a head injury, another suffered a suspected fractured elbow and other suspected broken bones.
It marks yet another day of violent riots of Britain’s streets, with crowds in Middlesbrough setting fire to a car and pushing burning wheelie bins at police, while thugs in Rotherham smash windows and doors as riot police use shields to push them back.
South Yorkshire Police said one person has been arrested on suspicion of public order offences.
Similar scenes could be seen in Weymouth, as around 400 protesters from opposing sides gathered on the seafront to chant at each other. One side could be heard chanting ‘Nazis go home’, while the other shouted ‘Tommy Robinson’.
