Riots spread in UK cities after deadly knife attack in Southport

Riots are erupting in more British cities following a knife attack in Southport. The government responded by organizing a COBRA emergency meeting on Monday. The Home Secretary said that the prisons "are ready" to accommodate the "criminal minority of thugs" causing riots across the country.

Incidents, during which people are taking to the streets and attacking police, have been occurring for a week in various neighborhoods of London and other British cities. This wave of dissatisfaction began with the stabbing of children participating in dance classes by a 17-year-old in the seaside town of Southport.

Three girls died: 6-year-old Bebe King, 7-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, and 9-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar. Five others were injured. Armed officers arrested the perpetrator. Seventeen-year-old Axel Muganwa Rudakubana was charged with three murders and 10 attempted murders.

His crime sparked a wave of anti-immigration demonstrations. Radical right-wing groups are attacking shops, libraries, and cafes, burning cars, and throwing projectiles at police officers. There is unrest in several places in England, as well as in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

In the town of Tamworth near Birmingham in the West Midlands, demonstrators attacked a hotel over the weekend where migrants seeking asylum were being housed. So far, over 150 people have been arrested nationwide.

Due to the riots sweeping the country, an emergency COBRA meeting is on Monday. Leading the meeting, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said that the individuals involved in this incident, who injured police officers, attacked mosques, and caused damage, are part of a "criminal minority of thugs."

"We've made sure there are additional prosecutors in place, that there are prisons, that prison places are ready, and also that the courts stand ready as well. We have made very clear to the police they have our full support in pursuing the full range of prosecutions and penalties, including the serious prison sentences, long term tagging, travel bans and more," said Minister Cooper.

Her predecessor, James Cleverly, who stepped down on July 5 this year, points out that the government could have made "key decisions" earlier to counteract the violent riots in the UK.

In an interview with the BBC, Cleverly notes the important role that social media plays in spreading hate and riots. "The sad truth is, there has always been a group of people driven by anger and racism, and I think it's them committing this violence," he said.

Oliver Coppard, Mayor of South Yorkshire from the Labour Party, claims that there is no "absolute excuse" for the violent scenes that have taken place in recent days in the UK, including in Rotherham in his county. Over the weekend, Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the attack on a hotel housing asylum seekers. He promised that those involved in the attack would be held accountable "to the full extent of the law."

The targets of the attacks were two Holiday Inn Express hotels. In Rotherham, demonstrators stormed one of the hotels, set fire to items, and smashed windows. No injuries were reported among hotel staff or residents. In the second hotel, in Tamworth, a police officer was injured.

Riots and anti-immigration protests, during which shops are looted, cars are vandalized, and fireworks and petrol bombs are set off, began with the dissemination of information that the 17-year-old knife attacker is a Muslim and a refugee. He was reported to have arrived in the UK by boat in 2023, but there is no confirmation of this.