UK prime minister convenes emergency panel to end days of far-right violence across Britain

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will be holding an urgent meeting with ministers and top law enforcement officials to address the recent street violence and attacks on hotels housing asylum seekers. Starmer has condemned these actions as thuggery.

In the past six days, there has been lawlessness in the country, with right-wing activists using social media to stoke anger over a stabbing rampage at a dance class, resulting in the death of three girls and injuries to many others.

Most of the attacks have been targeted at immigrants and Muslims.

On Sunday, angry mobs attacked two hotels housing asylum seekers, breaking windows and setting fires before being dispersed by police, and the residents were evacuated. During Monday’s meeting of the government’s emergency response committee, known as Cobra, police chiefs and government ministers are expected to develop a response to ensure such violence does not happen again.

South Yorkshire mayor Oliver Coppard told the BBC, “As Keir said, as every decent person has said, I think these are far-right thugs who attacked some of the most vulnerable people in our communities and there is absolutely no excuse. There can never be any excuse for trying to burn to death 200 of the most vulnerable people in our community.”

The Home Office, responsible for law and order, has offered mosques greater protection under a new “rapid response process” aimed at quickly addressing the threat of further attacks on places of worship.