UK faces worst riots in 13 years

British authorities faced mounting pressure on Sunday to end England’s worst rioting in 13 years after disturbances linked to child murders and involving radical agitators erupted across the country.

Unrest over misinformation about a mass stabbing that killed three girls last week spread to several cities on Saturday as anti-immigration protesters clashed with police.

Violence poses big test for prime minister Keir Starmerwho was elected just a month ago after leading the Labour Party to a landslide victory over the Conservatives.

Around 90 people have been arrested following clashes at far-right protests in several places including Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Blackpool and Hull, as well as Belfast in Northern Ireland.

In some cases, protesters threw bricks, bottles and flares at police — injuring several officers — looted and burned stores, while protesters shouted anti-Islamic insults as they clashed with counter-protesters.

The violence is the worst England has seen since the summer of 2011, when widespread rioting erupted after the killing of a mixed-race man by police in north London.

“We’ve had riots and conflicts of this nature, but they’ve been concentrated in specific areas of the country. Now we’re seeing it flooding into larger cities and towns,” said Tiffany Lynch, of the Police Federation of England and Wales.

The government said police had “all necessary resources” to deal with the disorder, as officers warned of more demonstrations on Sunday, raising fears the unrest could spread further.

The force has recruited extra officers, while Justice Minister Shabana Mahmood insisted that “the entire justice system is ready to deliver convictions as quickly as possible”.

The government’s police minister, Diana Johnsontold BBC News on Sunday that the disturbances “would not be tolerated”, promising “penalties and consequences” for the disorder.

Saturday’s clashes marked the fourth day of unrest in several cities following the frenzied knife attack in Southport, near Liverpool on England’s northwest coast.

– English flags –

They were fueled by false social media rumors about the background of 17-year-old British suspect Axel Rudakubana, who has been charged with multiple counts of murder and attempted murder over the attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance party.

Rudakubana is accused of killing Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, and injuring 10 others.

Police blamed the violence on fans and associated organisations of the English Defence League, a 15-year-old anti-Islam organisation whose supporters have been linked to football hooliganism.

Rioters attacked mosques in Southport and the north-east English city of Sunderland, prompting hundreds of Islamic centres to beef up security amid fears for the safety of their worshippers.

The protests were announced on far-right social media channels under the slogan “Enough is enough.”

They saw protesters waving English and British flags while shouting slogans such as “Stop the boats” — a reference to irregular migrants travelling from France to Britain.

Anti-fascist protesters held counter-demonstrations in many cities, including Leeds, where they chanted: “Nazi scum, off our streets”, while far-right protesters chanted: “You are not English any more”.

Not all of Saturday’s 30 or so meetings turned violent, and some participants said they had legitimate grievances.

“People are tired of being told you should be ashamed if you’re white and working class, but I’m proud to be white and working class,” Karina, 41, who did not give her surname, told AFP in Nottingham.

Commentators have suggested that the protesters, incited by online influencers, may feel emboldened by the political ascendancy of anti-immigration elements in British politics.

In last month’s election, the Reform UK party won 14% of the vote — one of the highest vote shares for a British far-right party.

Starmer accused “thugs” of “hijacking” the nation’s grief to “sow hate” and announced new measures to enable intelligence sharing, the wider deployment of facial recognition technology and criminal behaviour orders to restrict the travel of troublemakers.

Police Minister Johnson said the government would do “whatever it takes” to ensure people were brought to justice, including allowing courts to remain open overnight, as was the case during the 2011 riots.

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