Cobra meeting planned after thugs target hotels housing asylum seekers

Downing Street is expected to hold a Cobra emergency response meeting on Monday after “thugs” tried to storm hotels housing asylum seekers on the sixth day of escalating disorder.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer vowed rioters would “regret” engaging in “far-right thuggery” and promised those involved in unrest would “face the full force of the law” as he addressed the nation on Sunday.

This comes as former home secretary Dame Priti Patel said she would not feel safe in some of the areas that have seen violent unrest, adding that the racism on display was no different from that of the 1970s and 1980s.

Monday’s meeting is due to involve relevant ministers and police representatives who will discuss the response in the coming days to ensure there is no repeat of the violent scenes.

The Home Office announced on Sunday that mosques would be offered greater protection under a new “rapid response process” designed to quickly tackle the threat of further attacks on places of worship.

A large crowd gathered outside a mosque in Middlesbrough on Sunday night and others have also been targeted.

In Rotherham, anti-immigration rioters smashed the windows of the Holiday Inn Express before starting fires.

At least 10 officers were injured, including one who was knocked unconscious, South Yorkshire Police confirmed later, saying one person had already been arrested and others involved should “expect us to be at their doors very soon”.

Masked men hurled lengths of wood, chairs and bottles, and sprayed fire extinguishers at officers outside after some 700 people gathered.

A similar incident played out at a Holiday Inn hotel in Tamworth into Sunday evening, where reports suggested asylum seekers were also being housed.

People threw projectiles, smashed windows, started fires and targeted officers, Staffordshire Police said.

A group of rioters in Middlesbrough smashed the windows of houses and cars and threw objects at officers on Sunday afternoon, with one seen shouting a racial slur and another telling police: “It’s our f****** country.”

There were 43 arrests, and significant damage was caused to the Crown Court and the University, Cleveland Police said.

The widespread unrest poses the biggest challenge yet to Sir Keir’s premiership, with MPs including Ian Byrne and Dame Priti Patel saying Parliament should be recalled as it was in 2011 so the Commons could debate the riots.

Dame Priti told Times Radio: “I would not feel safe in some of the areas and communities where we’ve seen racism and thuggery on our streets.

“I grew up with people using the P-word against me.

“And I think some of the individuals that are now involved in this violence, disorder and racism that we are seeing in parts of the country – that’s no different to the type of racism that I experienced when I was growing up, and I just think that there’s no place for that in our amazing country,” she added.

The Tory MP said that claims there is “two-tier policing” in Britain, where right-wing protests are dealt with more harshly than left-wing ones, are “not correct”.

Greater Manchester Police issued a Section 60AA order amid disturbances in Bolton, requiring people to “remove face coverings used to disguise or conceal their appearance”.

Violence has broken out in several parts of England and Northern Ireland following the killing of three young girls in Southport last week.

The former first minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf said the army should be called in to stop “thugs” causing disorder on the streets.

Ministers have so far insisted police have the resources required to respond and have rejected calls to bring in the army.

Sir Keir said he wanted those who “feel targeted because of the colour of their skin” to know “this violent mob do not represent our country”.

In his message to rioters, the Prime Minister said: “I guarantee you will regret taking part in this disorder, whether directly or those whipping up this action online and then running away themselves.”

Dame Sara Khan, who was Rishi Sunak’s independent adviser for social cohesion and resilience until May, blamed the Conservative government for leaving the country open to far-right violence.

“The writing was clearly on the wall for some time,” she told the Guardian.

Writing in The Times, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said “there will be reckoning” for people who took part in the unrest and those who “whipped them up on social media and in online chat forums”.

“Whatever they and some of their political supporters may tell us, these are not patriots standing up for their communities,” she said.

“They are thugs, criminals and extremists who betray the values our country is built on.”

She said those responsible would be “paying the price for years to come”.

Shadow minister for security Tom Tugendhat, a candidate for the leadership of the Conservatives, described the violence as “abhorrent acts” with no justification.

Writing in the Daily Express, he called on the Government to “get a grip” by offering police “all available resources”.

A fundraiser launched by Stand Up To Racism, which it called an Emergency Unity Fund to “stop the far right” raised £7,910 in its first 11 hours.

Published: 05/08/2024 by Radio NewsHub

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