Police arrested hundreds of rioters Sunday in violent clashes that erupted after a stabbing spree in the U.K., Fox News reported.
Rioters in the U.K. have set fires, beseiged mosques and clashed with police amid false rumors blaming an asylum-seeker for a mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event, according to Fox News. The attack reportedly left three girls dead and others injured. A U.K. judge named Axel Rudakubana, a 17-year-old native of Rwandan descent, as the suspect charged with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder, the outlet reported.
Riots erupt in UK after stabbing spree falsely blamed on asylum seeker https://t.co/VHy5hABKsW
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 4, 2024
The revelation — unusual due to U.K. laws purposed to protect minors’ identities — aimed to stop the misinformation which reportedly sparked riots. In response to escalating violence, including the torching of a library and attacks on a Winston Churchill statue, U.K. authorities arrested hundreds while deploying substantial police forces, the outlet reported. In addition, the town of Rotherham reportedly experienced severe clashes, with rioters allegedly trying to storm a hotel sheltering asylum-seekers. Police reported multiple officer injuries, Fox News stated.
Rioters in Rotherham seen throwing wooden posts at police.
Sir Keir Starmer condemned what he termed ‘far-right thuggery’ earlier today. pic.twitter.com/ZaRXl2jDvf
— Sky News (@SkyNews) August 4, 2024
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the attacks and labeled the attacks as far-right thuggery.
“I guarantee you will regret taking part in this disorder, whether directly or those whipping up this action online and then running away themselves,” he said in a statement. “This is not a protest. It is organized, violent thuggery, and it has no place on our streets or online.”
On Sunday, the UK woke up to turmoil as the far right and anti-immigrant protests spread across Britain, resulting in violence, including clashes with riot police outside the hotel housing asylum seekers and looting shops. This chaos followed alleged misinformation about a…1/2 pic.twitter.com/vJVmxFz6Wr
— MR FRIMPONG 👑 (@mr_frimpong22) August 4, 2024
‘The Police are now targets’
Close to the Holiday Inn that was broken into earlier today, rioters have started a fire in the road and crowds have begun to gather.
Sky’s Shingi Mararike reports live from Rotherham.https://t.co/U56wIrPQTO
📺 Sky 501 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/LGbe16g6io
— Sky News (@SkyNews) August 4, 2024
“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,” he added. (RELATED: Dramatic Video Shows Terrifying Machete Fight At Theme Park Abroad, Six Arrested)
As police continue to review extensive footage from the scenes of the conflict, additional arrests are anticipated, the outlet reported. Authorities and community leaders are calling for calm and a cessation of violence, which has not only put many at risk but has also stretched police resources thin, potentially impacting their ability to respond to other crimes, according to the outlet.
