British Prime Minister vows perpetrators of UK violence will ‘regret’ taking part

Keir Starmer added on Sunday that his government would do “whatever it takes to bring these thugs to justice”.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised on Sunday 4 August that the perpetrators of the violence that has been shaking the United Kingdom for several days “would regret” for taking part in it, as the country experiences a fourth day of anti-immigration protests. “I guarantee you will regret having participated in this disorder.”he said at a short news conference in London, adding that his government would “whatever it takes to bring these thugs to justice”.

Sometimes targeting mosques or places where asylum seekers are accommodated, these demonstrations began at the beginning of the week after rumours spread on social networks, relayed by far-right influencers, about the origin and religion of the alleged attacker who killed three young girls on Monday in the town of Southport, in the northwest of England.

New rallies took place on Sunday, united under the slogan “Enough is enough” (Enough is enough), in reference to the arrival in the United Kingdom of migrants crossing the English Channel on inflatable boats. In Rotherham, hundreds of people gathered outside a hotel housing asylum seekers and clashes broke out with the police. Some broke windows of the establishment, threw projectiles at the police, while others shouted slogans such as “Put them out”local media reported.

In Aldershot (south), dozens of people holding placards with anti-asylum seeker slogans gathered peacefully, an AFP photographer noted. In Middlesbrough (northeast), a demonstration also began in a tense atmosphere, according to Sky News. On Saturday, the demonstrations, organized in several dozen cities, had already degenerated in some places, notably in Liverpool, Hull, Belfast and Leeds.