British Prime Minister Keir Starmer held an urgent meeting with ministers and senior law enforcement officials to put an end to the days of street violence and attacks on hotels where asylum seekers live, which he called banditry, reports UNN with reference to france24.
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The prime minister met with ministers and police chiefs, including Scotland Yard chief Mark Rowley, to discuss how to quell the violence that first broke out in Southport, North-West England, on Tuesday.
Over the weekend, several police officers were injured and dozens were arrested when mobs throwing bricks and torches clashed with police, burned and robbed shops, and smashed windows in cars and homes.
As part of a" series of actions "stemming from Monday's meeting, the government will" expand criminal justice "to ensure that" sanctions are met quickly, " Starmer told the media.
He also said that a "standing army" of specially trained police officers is ready to be deployed to support local forces in the event of any further riots.
"I am focused on making sure that we stop this disorder," he added.
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Clashes broke out in Southport a day after three young girls were killed and five other children were seriously injured in a knife attack at a dance lesson.
False rumors initially spread on social media that the attacker was a Muslim seeking asylum, but police said the suspect was a 17-year-old Welsh-born boy, and British media reported that his parents were Rwandans.
However, this did not prevent mosques from becoming targets.
Since then, police have arrested hundreds of people in cities across the country, where anti-immigration demonstrators and rioters have clashed with police and counter-protesters, particularly Muslim groups.