Rioters set fire and broke into hotels used to shelter asylum seekers in northern England on Sunday, CNN writes.
The violence was triggered by the stabbing of three young girls in Southport, northwest England, earlier in the week. As CNN reports, the far right has spread a wave of disinformation, including false claims the attacker was an immigrant, to mobilize anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant protests. The police, however, say the suspect was born in Britain.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has condemned the weekend’s violent protests, which saw at least 147 people arrested since Saturday night. Those involved in violence will face the full force of the law, he warned.
“People in this country have a right to be safe and yet, we’ve seen Muslim communities targeted, attacks on mosques, other minority communities singled out, Nazi salutes in the street, attacks on the police, wanton violence alongside racist rhetoric. So no, I won’t shy away from calling it what it is: Far-right thuggery,” Starmer said.
