New rioting across UK cities as arrests multiply (2024)

Published

6 August 2024

The wave of violent unrest and disorder across parts of the UK continued on Monday night as police came under attack in Belfast, Darlington and Plymouth.

Six people were arrested in Plymouth while several officers suffered minor injuries in the violence, Devon and Cornwall Police said.

In South Belfast, riot officers had stones and petrol bombs thrown at them in an area close to a supermarket which was set on fire at the weekend.

Earlier, a vigil was held for the victims of a mass stabbing in Southport last week which sparked the unrest. Nearly 400 people have been arrested since the rioting began.

In Southport, hundreds of people attended the peaceful memorial a week on from the deaths of Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Dasilva Aguiar.

Children blew bubbles and others left flowers and heart-shaped balloons in remembrance of the victims of the stabbing attack at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club.

Merseyside Police have since said one child caught up in the incident remained in hospital but all other patients had been discharged.

Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, from Banks in Lancashire, has been charged with three counts of murder, 10 attempted murders and possession of a curved kitchen knife.

The 17-year-old, who was born to Rwandan parents in Cardiff, moved to the Southport area in 2013.

Police believe the riots and unrest in towns and cities across the UK were fuelled by false rumours that the suspect was a Muslim asylum seeker.

Over the weekend, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned the riots as "far-right thuggery" and on Monday he vowed to "ramp up" the law to deal with the violence.

Despite his calls for calm, the violence spread to Plymouth.

Devon and Cornwall Police said specialist officers had been deployed on Monday to the Guildhall area at 15:30 BST to deal with a far-right demonstration and a counter protest.

Later in the evening, scenes in the city turned violent as a police van was damaged and several officers were injured, the force said.

Supt Russ Dawe said a number of arrests had been made for a "range of public order offences and assaults".

Speaking at a media briefing, he said he wanted to reassure the community the force was "fully resourced at this time, with a strong police presence".

Supt Dawe added that those intent on committing crimes and public order would be "dealt with robustly".

In South Belfast, PSNI officers came under attack as riot teams were deployed to Sandy Row.

It followed a weekend of violence which saw businesses damaged after an anti-immigration protest in the city on Saturday.

Police were stood down just after midnight.

In Birmingham on Monday evening, there were disturbances after hundreds of people gathered in the Bordesley Green area of the city following false reports that a far-right march had been planned there.

Palestinian flags were waved and anti-English Defence League chants were heard.

A group of youths later broke away from the gathering and attacked several vehicles and a pub.

West Midlands Police released a statement late on Monday which said officers were investigating reports of an assault and damage to a pub.

The force said no arrests had been made "at this stage but there were sporadic incidents and we are investigating reports of an assault" as well as incidents of criminal damage.

Ch Supt Richard North added: “Fortunately rumours of the significant protest activity in the city didn’t materialise.

"There were several sporadic incidents of criminality during the evening and we will work hard to arrest those responsible."

Also on Monday evening, Durham Constabulary said an 18-year-old man had been arrested following violent disorder in Darlington.

Dozens of police officers were deployed to the North Lodge Park area after two large groups of mostly males gathered just after 21:00 BST, police said adding that "small pockets of serious violence" had led to bricks being thrown at officers.

Assistant Chief Constable Richie Allen said: “What we have been dealing with tonight in Darlington has been sporadic pockets of violent disorder involving groups of people intent on causing serious harm to our communities and their property.

“We deployed a number of officers to the scene who worked throughout the night to disperse those involved."

Durham Constabulary also said it had been supported by officers from neighbouring forces Cleveland and Northumbria.

A total of 378 arrests have so far been made nationally since the rioting began on Tuesday, according to the National Police Chiefs' Council.

Police said they are working "around the clock" to identify and arrest more people.

Those who have been charged in connection with riots in parts of England appeared on Monday in various magistrates courts - including in Liverpool, South Tyneside and in Hull.

The Law Society has demanded the right support and resources for courts dealing with offenders.

After chairing an emergency Cobra meeting of ministers and senior police chiefs, Sir Keir announced a "standing army" of specialist officers to tackle the disorder.

A Downing Street spokesperson said later there were no plans for the military to be involved.

The government was working with social media companies to ensure misinformation and disinformation is removed, the spokesperson said.

But, the prime minister rejected calls for Parliament to be recalled from its summer recess in the face of the riots.

The Northern Ireland Assembly has been recalled to Stormont early following violent protests in Belfast last weekend.

Sir Keir said: "My focus is on making sure that we stop this disorder, that the criminal sanctions are swift and be seen to be followed."

Downing Street also criticised X owner Elon Musk for claiming "civil war is inevitable" in the UK, with officials suggesting online misinformation fuelling disorder on Britain's streets might be amplified by foreign state actors.

Sir Keir posted a video on X, external saying the unrest "is not protest, it is pure violence".

He added: "We will not tolerate attacks on mosques or on Muslim communities."

Mr Musk replied: "Shouldn't you be concerned about attacks on *all* communities?"

Elsewhere, Neil Basu – former head of counter-terrorism at the Metropolitan Police – told the BBC he felt some of the rioting over the past week had “crossed the line into terrorism".

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