Roundup: UK unrest at “turning point,” but no time for “complacency”

LONDON, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) — The social unrest gripping the United Kingdom (UK) following a stabbing in the northwestern city of Southport is now at a “turning point,” said the chair of the country’s policing body on Thursday, who nevertheless advised against “complacency.”
The UK had a relatively quieter night on Wednesday as heavy police presence and a huge turnout of anti-racism protesters in many UK cities and towns, as well as the courts’ swift sentencing of rioters, deterred far-right protesters, who initially planned more than 100 gatherings across the country.
“They’ve certainly been deterred. They’ve certainly received a message from communities,” said Gavin Stephens, chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council.
“We’ve seen many convictions come in through the courts already, tough sentencing,” he said. “And I think that was one of the reasons last night that we saw a turning point in some of the violence from the last week.”
Almost 500 people have been arrested and over 100 have been charged over the disorder and unrest. Around a dozen people have been jailed, with the longest sentence being three years.
“But there’s no complacency at all in our mind that we need to be prepared for the days and particularly the weekend ahead,” Stephens said. “So the policing posture remains the same.”
Far-right protests, targeting Muslims and the immigrant population in general, have rocked the UK since last week, resulting in police officers being injured, stores being looted and hotels housing asylum-seekers being stormed.
The unrest was sparked by online disinformation that wrongly claimed the suspect who killed three children in Southport at the end of July was a Muslim immigrant. However, it turned out to be a 17-year-old boy named Axel Rudakubana born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents, who was later charged with murder.
In an emergency meeting held on Thursday night, the third of its kind since the unrest, UK Prime Minister asked police forces to “remain on high alert” for possible further riots.
Earlier in the day, Starmer’s Labour Party suspended Ricky Jones, a local councilor in Dartford in Kent, from the party after he was allegedly seen in a video calling for far-right protesters’ throats to be cut. He was later arrested on suspicion of “encouraging murder.” ■