Travellers warned, PM slams ‘far-right thuggery’ as UK rocked by worst riots in 13 years

Foreigners in the UK are being warned for their safety as the PM fumes at those involved in ugly, violent scenes gripping the nation.

England’s worst rioting in 13 years has continued to escalate after disturbances linked to child murders and involving far-riot agitators flared across the country.

Unrest related to misinformation about a mass stabbing that killed three young girls at a Taylor Swift dance club last week has spread to multiple towns and cities, with anti-immigration demonstrators clashing with police.

The violence is posing a major test for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who was elected only a month ago after leading Labour to a landslide win over the Conservatives.

He has promised those involved will feel the “full force of the law”.

“I guarantee you will regret taking part in this disorder, whether directly or those whipping up this action online and then running away themselves,” Mr Starmer said in an address to the nation on Sunday.

“This is not protest, it is organised, violent thuggery and it has no place on our streets or online.”

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the violence ‘far-right thuggery’. Picture: Henry Nicholls-WPA Pool/Getty Images

He added: “People in this country have a right to be safe and yet we’ve seen Muslim communities targeted, attacks on mosques, other minority communities singled out, Nazi salutes in the street, attacks on the police, wanton violence alongside racist rhetoric.

“So, no, I won’t shy away from calling it what it is: far-right thuggery.”

Malaysia has issued “urgent” advice to Malaysians in the UK, urging them to register with the High Commission of Malaysia in London.

“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,” Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

The Australian government has not updated its UK travel advice page on Smartraveller since May 2.

Aussies are still warned to “exercise a high degree of caution in the UK due to the threat of terrorism”.

As for protests, it instructs travellers to “avoid areas where protests are occurring due to the potential for disruption and violence”.

Britain is in the grip of widespread violence as far-right agitators in Liverpool and Manchester rioted and looted shops. Police were attacked and injured and dozens of arrests were made. Picture: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

Worst rioting in over a decade

In the latest incident, trouble flared in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, on Sunday when masked anti-immigration demonstrators smashed several windows at a hotel that has been used to house asylum seekers.

Mr Starmer described these as “marauding gangs intent on law-breaking or worse”.

“Windows smashed, fire set ablaze, residents and staff in absolute fear. There is no justification, none, for taking this action,” he said.

Riot police clash with anti-migration protesters outside of the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers. Picture: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

More than 90 people were arrested on Saturday after skirmishes broke out at far-right rallies in numerous places, including Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Blackpool and Hull, as well as Belfast in Northern Ireland.

In some instances, rioters threw bricks, bottles and flares at police – injuring several officers – looted and burnt shops, while demonstrators shouted anti-Islamic slurs as they clashed with counter-protesters.

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

“We’re now seeing it (trouble) flooding across major cities and towns,” said Tiffany Lynch of the Police Federation of England and Wales.

The UK Prime Minister has warned those involved will ‘regret’ it. Picture: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

The government said the police have “all the resources they need” to deal with the disorder, as forces drafted in thousands of extra officers to try to stop the violence from spreading further.

Policing minister Diana Johnson told BBC News on Sunday that the rioting would “not be tolerated”, while justice minister Shabana Mahmood has insisted that “the whole justice system is ready to deliver convictions as quickly as possible”.

The disturbance in Rotherham marked the fifth day of skirmishes following last Monday’s frenzied knife attack at a Taylor Swift-theme dance party in Southport, near Liverpool on England’s northwest coast.

An aerial view of anti-migration protesters outside of the Holiday Inn Express on August 4. Picture: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

False rumours

They were fuelled by false rumours on social media about the background of British-born 17-year-old suspect Axel Rudakubana, who is accused of killing a six, seven, and nine-year-old, and injuring another 10 people.

Police have blamed the violence on supporters and associated organisations of the English Defence League, an anti-Islam organisation founded 15 years ago whose supporters have been linked to football hooliganism.

Agitators have targeted mosques in Southport and in the northeastern English city of Sunderland, leading to hundreds of Islamic centres bolstering security amid fears for their worshippers’ safety.

The rallies have been advertised on far-right social media channels under the banner “Enough is enough”.

Participants have waved English and British flags while chanting slogans like “Stop the boats” – a reference to irregular migrants travelling to Britain from France.

Anti-fascist demonstrators have held counter-rallies in many cities, including Leeds where they shouted, “Nazi scum off our streets”, as the far-right protesters chanted, “You’re not English any more”.

Not all the gatherings have turned violent. A peaceful one in Aldershot, southern England, on Sunday saw participants hold placards that read “Stop the invasion” and “We’re not far right, we’re just right”.

“People are fed up with being told you should be ashamed if you’re white and working class but I’m proud white working class,” 41-year-old Karina, who did not give her surname, told AFP in Nottingham on Saturday.

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

At last month’s election, the Reform UK party led by Brexit cheerleader Nigel Farage captured 14 per cent of the vote – one of the largest vote shares for a far-right British party.

Carla Denyer, co-leader of the left-wing Green party said the unrest should be “a wake-up call to all politicians who have actively promoted or given in” to anti-immigration rhetoric.

Starmer has accused “thugs” of “hijacking” the nation’s grief to “sow hatred” and has announced new measures to allow the sharing of intelligence, wider deployment of facial-recognition technology and criminal behaviour orders to restrict troublemakers from travelling.

– With AFP

Originally published as Travellers warned, PM slams ‘far-right thuggery’ as UK rocked by worst riots in 13 years