UK police officers sustain injuries as violent protests expand
3 Min Read
Police officers have been caught in between rival demonstrations, exposing them to attacks and subjecting them to injuries.
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Scenes from the Plymouth protest, August 5, 2024 (Social media)
Police officers have sustained injuries in Plymouth as violence continues for the seventh day since the stabbing attack that killed two children and injured nine others in Southport last week.
On Monday, Devon and Cornwall police said six arrests were made in Plymouth after several police officers reportedly sustained minor injuries and two citizens were transported to the hospital, raising the number of arrests to over 370.
Protesters reportedly threw bricks and launched fireworks at law enforcement trying to separate rival demonstrations in the Devon port city, where far-right protesters attacked counter-protesters holding signs, saying "No Place for Hate" and "Say No to Nazis", damaging a police van in the process.
Police officers reported a "large masonry" being thrown at their crews, prompting Inspector Ryan North Moore to label the protests as "sustained violence" that cannot be easily policed with the available resources, Sky News reported.
Acting Chief Constable Jim Colwell, in turn, commended the officers' "brave, robust policing" in the face of the "mindless, criminal behavior" protesters have exhibited.
— Carl Eve (@CarlEveCrime) August 5, 2024
Police on alert
The Police of Northern Ireland reported "ongoing disorder" and riots in the Donegall Road area of south Belfast, as protesters threw petrol bombs and stones at police officers, according to BBC.
In Birmingham, Sky News said one of its vans was attacked by a man wielding a knife, further reporting that its journalists saw a group of "Muslim men who said they were ready to defend the street from another rumored far-right protest."
West Midlands Police (WMP) announced that they are looking into reports of a man carrying an offensive weapon, along with other incidents, and are committed to making every effort to identify and apprehend those responsible.
On Monday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the formation of a specialized team of police officers to address rioting, urging that those responsible be publicly identified. Starmer promised to enhance the criminal justice system following an emergency meeting convened after rioters targeted hotels housing asylum seekers over the weekend.
The new team of officers is an extension of the existing mutual aid scheme, which enables the deployment of police across the country as needed. Starmer dismissed calls for an early recall of Parliament amid the unrest while emphasizing his focus on supporting police operations despite demands from MPs for Parliament to return from its summer break.
Why is the far-right rioting?
Violent clashes took place between far-right protesters and police in central London late Wednesday following the spread of disinformation on social media determining that the Southport knife perpetrator was a Muslim man.
The violent protests initially began on Tuesday in Southport after extremist far-right social media users falsely reported that the assailant in Monday's knife attack that killed three young girls and wounded multiple children at dance class was a Muslim immigrant.
Clashes between the demonstrators and the police were incited by members of an anti-Muslim xenophobic fascist group known as the English Defense League (EDL), who provoked protesters by attacking a local mosque with projectiles.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the violent riots as "thuggery", pledging that the assailants will face "the full force of the law."
