Despite residual incidents in Northern Ireland on Thursday evening, the rest of the country has not seen any fresh outbreak of violence since Tuesday.
:quality(50)/2023/07/06/64a68815cd1a7_placeholder-36b69ec8.png)
Published
Reading time: 1 min
:quality(50)/2024/08/09/000-36d27x2-66b60d479c64f103033234.jpg)
Will the lull last? British authorities are still “on alert” Friday, August 9, despite a return to calm after ten days of racist and Islamophobic riots across the United Kingdom. The government is counting on rapid judicial convictions to discourage further clashes.
Despite residual incidents in Northern Ireland on Thursday evening, the rest of the country has not seen a new outbreak of violence since Tuesday. On Wednesday, thousands of people mobilized peacefully in the streets of several cities against racism and Islamophobia. As the weekend approaches, the government is particularly concerned that the resumption of the national football championship could give rise to new tensions, while the extreme right has historical links with hooligan circles.
On Friday morning, continuing the firm speech he has adopted since the start of this crisis, Prime Minister Keir Starmer called on the police to remain “on alert” in order to“ensuring the safety of our communities”He was speaking to the media on the sidelines of a visit to a London police command centre.
Thousands of police officers have been deployed since the riots erupted last Tuesday after a knife attack in northwest England killed three girls. Nearly 500 people have been arrested, around 150 have been charged and the courts have begun handing down dozens of convictions against rioters.
