UK sees worst riots in 13 years fueled by false rumours; Over 100 arrested
London: England is experiencing its most significant riots in 13 years, sparked by widespread disturbances linked to child murders and anti-immigration protests. The unrest was reportedly ignited by false rumours circulating online that the suspect in a recent mass stabbing was a Muslim and an immigrant. This misinformation fueled anger among far-right supporters, who clashed with anti-racism protesters over the weekend.
The violence erupted following a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance party in Southport, near Liverpool, where three young girls were fatally stabbed. In response, anti-immigration demonstrators took to the streets, targeting asylum-seeker accommodations. On August 3, a mob attempted to break into a Holiday Inn Express hotel in Nottingham, where asylum seekers were housed.
The rioting has spread across multiple towns and cities, including Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Blackpool, Hull, and Belfast. In Rotherham, South Yorkshire, masked demonstrators smashed windows at a hotel used to shelter asylum seekers. The clashes have involved rioters throwing bricks, bottles, and flares at police, resulting in injuries to several officers and damage to shops.
The Police Federation of England and Wales described the unrest as the worst since the 2011 riots, following the police shooting of a mixed-race man in north London. Tiffany Lynch from the Federation stated, "We're now seeing it [trouble] flooding across major cities and towns." In response, the government has mobilized thousands of extra police officers, asserting that law enforcement has "all the resources they need" to address the disorder.
The violence has been exacerbated by disinformation, particularly false claims about 17-year-old suspect Axel Rudakubana, who has been charged with three counts of murder and ten counts of attempted murder. Judge Andrew Menary authorized the identification of Rudakubana, born in Wales to Rwandan parents, to counteract the spread of false information.
National Police Chiefs’ Council's BJ Harrington confirmed the arrest of 147 individuals linked to the violence, with numbers expected to rise. The authorities attribute the escalation to disinformation and have urged the public to verify information before acting.
The protests, often organized online by far-right groups, have adopted slogans like "Enough is enough" and "Stop the boats," reflecting broader anti-immigration sentiments. While some demonstrations have remained peaceful, others have descended into violence, targeting mosques and leading to increased security at Islamic centers.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the unrest as "far-right thuggery" and highlighted that Muslim communities were being targeted. Starmer, recently elected after a decisive Labour victory, announced measures to enhance intelligence sharing, deploy facial-recognition technology, and impose criminal behaviour orders to prevent troublemakers from traveling.
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Delhi CM Rekha Gupta accuses Mamata Banerjee of stalling SIR; TMC hits back
Kolkata (PTI): Alleging that her West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee had approached the Supreme Court to stall the SIR exercise to prevent the identification of infiltrators, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday claimed that the people of the state have made up their minds to dislodge the Trinamool Congress from power.
The TMC countered strongly, urging Gupta to "look into her own backyard" and accused her of making absurd allegations against the TMC government without checking facts.
Addressing participants at the 'Nari Sankalp Yatra' organised by the BJP's women's wing at Science City auditorium here, Gupta alleged that the "hands-off" and appeasement policies of the TMC government had allowed thousands of infiltrators to enter the state in recent years.
She claimed that this had put a strain on basic rights such as access to water, electricity, ration, education, livelihood and the right to vote for genuine citizens.
"She wants to perpetuate this and hence is trying to stall the SIR exercise, which aims at identifying and deporting infiltrators. Imagine a chief minister going to the apex court to argue against an exercise meant to ensure free and fair polls," Gupta said.
The BJP leader alleged that appeasement politics had reached an "alarming level" under the TMC regime.
Raising concerns over women's safety, she claimed that women in the state were not secure despite having a woman chief minister.
Referring to the rape-murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Hospital, Gupta alleged that the state government had failed to respond adequately to such crimes.
She also referred to the alleged rape of a woman medic in Durgapur and another law student on a Kolkata college campus, claiming that criminals had been emboldened to commit brutalities against women.
She alleged that in crimes against women, overall crime incidents and child marriages, West Bengal remained among the top -- "a slur on a state which once led intellectual and social movements and set examples for the rest of the country," she said.
Criticising the state government's welfare initiatives, she said schemes such as Kanyashree were built on "false claims" and asserted that women needed security rather than assurances.
Accusing the state government of blocking central schemes, Gupta alleged that funds worth "lakhs of crores of rupees" had not reached the poor due to non-implementation of programmes such as Ayushman Bharat, PM Awas Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission by the state.
"You are only interested in renaming projects and taking credit," she said.
Gupta also alleged that the education sector in the state had been adversely affected, saying several state-run schools had closed due to a shortage of teachers and that the government was opposed to the National Education Policy.
Drawing a comparison with BJP-ruled Delhi, Gupta said, "People have already voted out 'Bhaia' (a reference to former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal). Now it is your turn to bid farewell to 'Didi'." Calling upon women to resist what she termed "strong-arm tactics", she urged them to assert their strength, invoking the imagery of Goddess Durga.
"Bengal has the right to live with dignity, and women have the right to live with dignity," she added.
Reacting to Gupta's allegations, West Bengal Women and Child Welfare minister Shashi Panja accused her of making "absurd allegations" against the Trinamool Congress government ahead of elections.
Panja alleged that during Gupta's tenure in Delhi, several incidents had raised serious concerns, including reports of missing young women and a blast near the Red Fort.
She also criticised the air pollution situation in the national capital, claiming that people were struggling to breathe.
The TMC leader said that despite being in power for a year, Gupta was making "tall claims" instead of addressing key issues in Delhi.
Panja further alleged that the Delhi CM visited West Bengal during elections to "peddle false allegations" against the state government.
Rebutting Gupta, the TMC said in a post on X said, "Madam why did you go off-script again? For your edification, here are the cold, hard facts: In total cases of crimes (IPC + SLL), Bengal ranks a respectable 15th, far safer than BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, which languish near the bottom."
"In overall crime rate, Bengal sits comfortably at 28th. Who's second? Your own Delhi. Double Engine Gujarat and Haryana grab 4th and 5th as top-tier crime havens," the TMC said.
"In child marriage, Assam again takes the shameful pole position. And yet you dare lecture Bengal? Stop embarrassing yourself, stop the hypocrisy, and maybe fix the rotting mess in your own backyard before pointing fingers at a state that's outperforming your disasters on every key metric," the TMC countered.
