(London) British police announced on Tuesday that they had arrested more than 1,000 people in connection with the riots that have rocked the United Kingdom over the past two weeks.
“Police forces across the country have made more than 1,000 arrests in connection with the recent violent unrest,” the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said on X.
575 people have also been charged. Trials of alleged rioters continue.
The riots, the worst in Britain since 2011, have affected dozens of towns and villages in England and Northern Ireland following the knife attack that killed three young girls on July 29.
Rumours about the suspect, who was incorrectly described as a Muslim asylum seeker, were spread by influential far-right accounts on social media, leading to an outbreak of xenophobic and racist street violence the day after the attack. Many people have also been arrested for hateful online posts.
The British justice system is continuing to prosecute cases and handing down heavy sentences, even though the disorder had calmed down before last weekend and the government had promised to punish the rioters.
Among those on trial on Tuesday was a 13-year-old girl who admitted making threats outside an asylum seekers’ shelter in Aldershot, south of the city.
A man, John Honey, has pleaded guilty to taking part in the attack on a car carrying three Romanians and assaulting police officers during riots in Hull, north-east England. Mr Honey also pleaded guilty to burglary, as he took part in the looting of several shops.