Keir Starmer to host police chief meeting at No 10 with key demand after far-Right riots
The PM is hauling in senior policing leaders after yet more disturbing scenes in Hartlepool and Whitehall yesterday evening.
Hartlepool: Car set alight as riot police respond to disorder
Sir Keir Starmer is to hold an emergency meeting with police chiefs today after far-Right violence spread to more areas following the Southport clashes earlier this week.
There were eight arrests in Hartlepool last night as officers were attacked with missiles, glass bottles and eggs, while a police car was torched.
Meanwhile 100 people were arrested in central London yesterday, including a GB News journalist, with flares fired at the gates of Downing Street.
There were also protests in Manchester and Aldershot, including one outside a migrant hotel.
Downing Street has now said Sir Keir is going to tell police forces that they “should not hesitate to use their powers” to put a stop to this week’s “mindless violence”.
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At a meeting at No 10 this afternoon, the Prime Minister will offer senior policing leaders the Government’s full backing following the rising spate of violence and public disorder.
At a roundtable, Sir Keir will say that the shocking events in Southport this week serve as a reminder of the bravery of our emergency service workers and the vitally important work they do to keep the public safe.
While he will reiterate the Government’s commitment to the right of peaceful protest, he will be clear that criminals who exploit that right in order to sow hatred and carry out violent acts will face the full force of the law.
He will commit to working in partnership with police forces across the UK and reiterate that they should not hesitate to use their powers to stop mindless violence in its tracks and make sure justice is served.
Far-Right protesters clashed with the police on Whitehall last night under the title “Enough is Enough”.
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Last night, the Met Police said: “Over 100 people have been arrested for offences including violent disorder, assault on an emergency worker, and breach of protest conditions.
“Some officers suffered minor injuries.”
Glass bottles and beer cans were lobbed at a line of riot police, while the Whitehall statue of Sir Winston Churchill also had flares launched at it.
The crowd was also seen chanting “we want our country back” and “oh Tommy Robinson”.
In Manchester, around 40 people including men and children in balaclavas, turned up at a hotel on Oldham Road which purportedly houses asylum seekers.
Protesters in Aldershot did likewise, with local MP Alex Baker blasting the violence and saying the protesters “do not represent Aldershot and Farnborough”.
“I have been liaising with Hampshire Police this evening regarding a significant incident at Potter’s International Hotel in Aldershot, where a peaceful protest descended into intimidating behaviour.”
The clashes follow the murder of three young girls at a dance class in Southport on Tuesday.
False social media claims that the perpetrator of the knife attack had been a foreign-born Muslim refugee began circulating, with claims Russia was helping to promote the misinformation.
