Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned Friday that UK authorities must “stay on high alert” in the coming hours and days, amid fears of further far-right riots in English towns and cities.
His comments followed consecutive nights of relative quiet across England, after a week of near daily unrest in more than a dozen places in the wake of a deadly knife attack that killed three children.
Disturbances have continued unabated in Northern Ireland, however, where police have blamed pro-UK loyalist paramilitaries for fuelling nightly violence in Belfast.
Speaking during a visit to the headquarters of London’s Metropolitan Police, Starmer said “swift justice” dispensed on rioters by police and the courts in recent days had acted as a deterrent to more disorder in England.
“I’m absolutely convinced that having the police officers in place these last few days, and the swift justice that has been dispensed in our courts have had a real impact,” he told UK broadcasters.
But we have to stay on high alert going into this weekend because we absolutely have to make sure that our communities are safe and secure.”
Starmer held another crisis meeting of top ministers and police chiefs late Thursday.
In his latest remarks, he noted potential unrest linked to the start of the football season would be “added into the mix” of challenges facing authorities this weekend.
Some far-right rioters and agitators are believed to have links to England’s decades-old football hooligan scene, which has diminished since its heyday in the 1980s but can still generate violence on match days.
Police in England said Thursday that forces nationwide had now arrested nearly 500 people for alleged participation in the unrest that began on 30 July, and around 150 charges had been filed.
The disturbances, first sparked by a 29 July knife attack that killed three children, have seen mosques and migrant-related facilities attacked alongside police and other targets.
Officials have blamed misinformation spread on social media about the suspected perpetrator for fuelling the disorder.
Meanwhile, courts across England have started sentencing convicted participants in the disorder, with some facing years in jail. Around a dozen people were jailed on Thursday for their involvement.
On Friday, two men are set to be the first to face jail for stirring up racial hatred online.
Starmer said in reference to those cases:
He added social media executives as well as users should be “mindful of the first priority, which is to ensure that our communities are safe and secure,” and hinted at stricter enforcement in future.
“We’re going to have to look more broadly at social media after this disorder but the focus at the moment has to be on dealing with the disorder,” Starmer said.
In Northern Ireland, a number of Belfast businesses and libraries announced plans to close early on Friday after more disorder overnight and further planned protests.
Police there said 23 people have been arrested so far following the disturbances, and 15 charged.
Officers have been granted additional powers to stop and search suspected troublemakers and ask themto remove face coverings, while additional manpower is being sent from the UK mainland, according to reports.
