Starmer blasts ‘far-right thuggery’ in wake of weekend riots
Spectator (UK)AUG 14 2024
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Monday a new "standing army" of specialist police officers to tackle riots that have swept the country in the wake of the fatal stabbing of three young girls in Southport, Merseyside, last week.
Such an arrangement has nothing to do with the actual army, but rather with the so-called mutual aid — which consists in police forces deploying officers to other areas — and regularly happens to deal with big events.
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A minority of far-right extremists has weaponized the horrific killing of three children in Southport to spread misinformation about the suspect on social media and promote anti-immigration, anti-Muslim riots in a bid to claim that British society isn't a successful multi-ethnic one despite its high levels of integration. This is an attack on the rule of law to plunge the country into chaos, and one that shows that social media companies are failing their legal obligations to prevent such content.
Riots and misinformation in the wake of the Southport stabbings are nothing less than outrageous, period. All this violence, however, must not be used to disrespect a sorrowing community that has every right to be angry after such a heinous act took place in their town. It's time to stop pretending that everything is fine in the UK and finally address worries common to many Britons, not just violent agitators, about immigration and the challenges of diversity and integration.