UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Thursday he would once again chair a new meeting of the emergency committee as he considered it important not to let his guard down despite there being no disturbances at the protests scheduled last night by the far right in several cities and towns in England .
The Labour leader briefed the media on the meeting of the so-called ‘Cobra’ committee, which was attended by some ministers and representatives of the security forces, when he visited a mosque in the city of Solihull , in central England .
“It is now important that we do not give up here and that is why later today I will have another ‘Cobra’ meeting with the law enforcement agencies, with senior police officers, to ensure that we reflect on (what happened) last night, but also plan for the coming days,” the head of government said.
With flags, posters and chants, thousands of people gathered last night in shopping areas of different cities to denounce racism and Islamophobia, amid a strong security device to prevent further violence.
The prime minister added that last night’s events had turned out “much better than expected” after planned anti-immigration protests failed to materialise.
“It is very important that I continue my conversations, in coordination with the law enforcement agencies, with police leaders, to ensure that we have the right agents in the right place, to continue to press for the justice system’s response” to last week’s protesters.
“I was very keen that we could show that if you are involved in disorder, within a few days you are in the criminal justice system and some people are starting to get long prison sentences. That must continue,” he added.
Starmer highlighted that it was found that many of those responsible for the vandalism were arrested and some were quickly charged and sentenced to prison terms.
“I repeat: anyone who engages in disturbances, whatever their reason, will feel the full weight of the law. It is important, I repeat, because we have to ensure that in the coming days we can provide the necessary calm to our communities, many of whom – I spoke to some of them this morning – are very concerned about the situation,” he added.
More than 400 people have been arrested in the past week over the riots, which began on July 30 after the stabbing to death of three girls at a recreation centre in Southport , northwest England , by a 17-year-old boy – Axel Rudakubana , who was born in Wales to Rwandan parents.
Far-right groups – who during the riots threw bottles and stones at police and set vehicles and rubbish bins on fire – reacted after false information circulated on social media that the teenager was an asylum seeker.
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