UK PM Vows to Prosecute Violent Protesters Targeting Muslim Community

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has declared that violent protesters targeting Muslim communities will face the “full force of the law,” in an effort to quell days of anti-immigration rioting.

The unrest follows the tragic stabbing of three young girls in Southport, a town in northwest England. This incident has been exploited by anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim groups, with misinformation spreading online and being amplified by prominent far-right figures, leading to widespread disorder in various towns and cities.

During an emergency meeting on Monday with police and prison chiefs, Starmer emphasized, “Whatever the apparent motivation, this is not protest, it is pure violence, and we will not tolerate attacks on mosques or our Muslim communities. The full force of the law will be visited on all those who are identified as having taken part.”

Police have arrested 378 individuals since the onset of the unrest and have warned of “lengthy prison terms” for those convicted of violent disorder. The violence began last Tuesday after social media posts falsely claimed that the suspect in the Southport attack was a radical Islamist recently arrived in Britain and known to intelligence services.

Authorities have clarified that the 17-year-old suspect was born in Britain and that the incident is not being treated as a terrorist act. The suspect’s parents had moved to Britain from Rwanda.

Interior Minister Yvette Cooper condemned the rioters, stating they felt “emboldened … to stir up racial hatred” and criticized the protests as an overreaction to near-record levels of immigration.

Despite police efforts, protests involving hundreds of people have continued nationwide. These demonstrations have led to the looting of shops, attacks on mosques and Asian-owned businesses, and cars being set on fire. Some unverified videos on social media have depicted ethnic minorities being assaulted.