UK deploys 6,000 specialist police to tackle widespread unrest

The UK Government has mobilized 6,000 specialist police officers to address the country's worst disorder in over a decade, as nearly 400 people have been arrested and 100 charged in connection with the week-long disturbances.

The unrest, sparked by online misinformation about a mass stabbing that killed three children, has led to rioting in several cities, with demonstrators attacking police officers, burning cars, and targeting mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who chaired his second emergency meeting in two days, vowed to take swift action against the rioters, expecting "substantive sentencing" by the end of the week. This, he hopes, will send a strong message to those involved in the violence.

Scores of alleged perpetrators appeared in court on Tuesday, with some entering guilty pleas

 A 19-year-old man received a two-month prison sentence, while others were convicted of assaulting police officers, committing violent disorder, and stirring up racial hatred on social media.

The unrest began after false rumours spread on social media claiming the attacker, who killed three children at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, was a Muslim asylum seeker.

The suspect was later identified as 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana, born in Wales. UK media reported that his parents are from Rwanda.

The government, only one month old, has vowed to take a tough line on the unrest and the National Police Chiefs’ Council said Monday that 378 people had so far been arrested.

“99.9% of people across the country want their streets to be safe and to feel safe in their communities, and we will take all necessary action to bring the disorder to an end,” Starmer said Tuesday.

Justice minister Heidi Alexander told BBC Radio 4 that the government had freed up an extra 500 prison places and drafted in 6,000 specialist police officers to deal with the violence.

Police have blamed the disorder on people associated with the now-defunct English Defence League, a far-right Islamophobic organisation founded 15 years ago, whose supporters have been linked to football hooliganism.

The rallies have been advertised on far-right social media channels under the banner “Enough is enough”.

Interior minister Yvette Cooper said “there will be a reckoning” for perpetrators, adding that social media put a “rocket booster” under the violence.