UK riots latest: More than 100 far-Right demonstrations planned for tonight (2024)

Protests have erupted across Britain after thekilling of three young girls in Southport. On Wednesday, police sources confirmed more than 100 far-Right demonstrations and 30 counter-protests are planned for this evening.

Following the protests, Britain’s top prosecutor has warned rioters face being charged with terror offences. However, earlier in the week, the Government’s independent reviewer of terror legislation, Jonathan Hall KC, saidpoliticians must not rush to class the riots as terrorism.

In an exclusive Telegraph poll of over 38,000 readers, 88 per cent agree with Mr Hall, who said on the BBC’s Today programme: “I think that you need to be cautious about applying counter-terrorism in effectively a live incident, it could be escalatory.”

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An office worker in the City of London said he and his colleagues have been told to leave their office near Liverpool Street because of “planned riots” in the area.

He said that employees have been advised to work from home for the remainder of the week and not to attend the London office.

Police sources have confirmed that more than 100 far-Right demonstrations and 30 counter-protests are planned for Wednesday evening.

Sir Mark Rowley, the chief of the Metropolitan Police, has rejected accusations of two-tier policing as “complete nonsense”.

On claims that police are treating some groups more harshly than others, Sir Mark told broadcasters: “It’s complete nonsense.

“We have commentators from either end of the political spectrum who like to throw accusations of bias at the police because we stand in the middle, we operate independently under the law without fear or favour.”

He added: “The serious voices who echo those are of more concern to me, because the risk is they legitimise it, and they legitimise the violence that the officers I’m sending on mutual aid today will face on the streets.

“They are putting them at risk by suggesting that any of those officers are going out with any intent other than to operate without fear or favour in protecting communities.”

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Three men jailed for their part in rioting in the wake of the Southport attack are the “tip of the iceberg”, a chief prosecutor has said.

Speaking outside Liverpool Crown Court after the three men were jailed, Sarah Hammond, the chief crown prosecutor for CPS Mersey-Cheshire, said: “Today’s prison sentences show that the law is catching up with those who have brought violence to our local communities.

“The disturbing images we have seen across the country, manipulated by agitators both in-person and online, while local families still grieve the loss of loved ones, is an unforgivable and selfish act that each and every person sentenced today will have to live with.

“The three men sentenced today are the tip of the iceberg, and just the start of what will be a very painful process for many who foolishly chose to involve themselves in violent unrest. Many of those involved will be sent to prison for a long time.”

A man has been sentenced to three years in prison for violent disorder and assaulting an emergency worker in Southport on July 30.

Derek Drummond, 58, of Pool Street, Southport, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday.

Two others were also sentenced. Declan Geiran, 29, of Kelso Road, Liverpool, has been sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court to 30 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to violent disorder in Liverpool on Aug 3 and sending a malicious communication last year.

Liam Riley, 40, of Walton Road, Liverpool, has been sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court to 20 months in prison after he admitted violent disorder and racially aggravated behaviour in Liverpool on Aug 3.

They added: “We recognise that the violence on our streets is endangering communities, particularly those of Muslims and people of colour.

“In accordance with our commitment to nonviolence, we will not stretch police resources, such that they are unable to protect communities most at risk.

“Therefore, we are pausing our nonviolent resistance until the immediate threats to safety have been dealt with appropriately.”

UK retailers are set to hold urgent talks with the police, Home Office and the Government over how to protect their staff and customers as they brace for more rioting.

Trade group the British Retail Consortium (BRC) is holding a community meeting for its members on Wednesday morning.

The organisation represents more than 200 major retailers as well as thousands of smaller independents who are represented by its trade association members.

It follows a wave of rioting and violence across towns and cities, with high street stores suffering looting and vandalism.

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said it was doing what it could to help small firms worried about being caught up in the unrest.

Martin McTague, the national chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: “Millions of small businesses are on our high streets and town centres, populating our local communities and finding themselves on the front line of the recent public disorder, violence and damage which all come at human cost.

He added: “Local authorities, insurance companies and politicians of all stripes need to be ready to support their small businesses to rebuild, recover and get back on their feet.”

Kris Venkatasami, the chief crown prosecutor and the Crown Prosecution Service’s lead on protests, has said “we are already seeing swift justice”.

He said: “The Crown Prosecution Service continues to work side by side with police to crack down on the violent disorder spreading through our streets.

“Charges, including the first charge of intending to stir up racial hatred, are accelerating and we are already seeing swift justice as convictions continue to rise.

“There is no doubt, what we have seen in the past week is sheer criminality. We have always been clear: the law applies equally to anyone engaging in criminal activity, and to those who do, will be brought to justice.”

Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, has warned that “keyboard warriors” who are inciting violence are “not safe from the law”.

He said: “Whether you’re in this country committing crimes on the streets or committing crimes from further afield online, we will come after you.”

“Being a keyboard warrior does not make you safe from the law. You can be guilty of offences of incitement, of stirring up racial hatred. There are numerous terrorist offences regarding the publishing of material.

“All of those offences are in play if people are provoking hatred and violence on the streets, and we’ll come after those individuals, just as we will physically confront on the streets the thugs and the yobs who are causing the problems for communities.”

A survivor of the Southport stabbings who attempted to disarm the attacker likened the man to a “crouching tiger”.

Jonathan Hayes, 63, was stabbed in the leg after confronting the person who targeted a children’s Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29.

The grandfather, whose office is in the same building where the dance class was taking place, said he heard screams and rushed to the scene after hearing one of his colleagues cry out in alarm.

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An assistant chief constable has urged people to ignore a list of locations, which has been shared on social media as possible targets for gatherings, saying police will be waiting.

Andy Mariner, of Essex Police, said there is “disinformation on social media” talking about activity in the county on Wednesday, adding: “Our message is clear - ignore it.”

“If you’re planning on coming here intent on disorder, we will be waiting for you, and you will be arrested,” he said.

“There is information going around on the internet highlighting specific locations around the country and some of those details of locations are just plain false, including here in Essex.”

It started as a gathering to protect a mosque from a rumoured far-Right demonstration on Monday.

But the initially peaceful gathering in Bordesley Green, a suburb of Birmingham, soon turned violent, ending in an attack on a pub and leaving one pubgoer with a “lacerated liver”.

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Inquests into the deaths of Southport stabbing victims Bebe King, six, Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, have been opened and adjourned at Bootle Town Hall.

Julie Goulding, the senior coroner, said it was “impossible to adequately articulate the devastating lifelong effects of the truly tragic events of Monday, July 29”.

Nearly half of people believe Sir Keir Starmer’s handling of the riots sweeping Britain is poor, a poll has found.

The YouGov poll found that 49 per cent of 2,114 adults surveyed on Monday felt the Prime Minister was dealing with the violence badly. Only 31 per cent agreed that he was managing it well.

Sir Keir has vowed that rioters will rapidly face “the full force of the law” while announcing another Cobra emergency meeting about the ongoing disorder.

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A number of businesses have been boarded up in Southend-on-Sea ahead of planned riots today.

The protest outside an immigration solicitor’s office has reportedly been planned for 8pm.

Counter protests are also being planned with members of Southend Against Fascism claiming they will be attending the same location.

Two men have been charged following violent disorder in Darlington on Monday evening, Durham Police said.

Cole Stewart, of Victoria Road, Darlington, and Brandon Welch, of Warkworth Way, Darlington, have both been charged with violent disorder.

The pair, who are both 18, have been remanded in custody.

They are listed to appear at Teesside magistrates’ court later on Wednesday.

A man has been charged with possessing an offensive weapon during a gathering in Birmingham after TV coverage showed someone apparently holding a sword.

Shehraz Sarwar from Birmingham was arrested and charged by West Midlands Police following the incident in Bordesley Green on Monday.

A number of counter-protesters gathered in the area after social media rumours of a far-right march being staged there.

The 46 year old was remanded to appear before Birmingham magistrates’ court on Wednesday.

Robert Jenrick has accused Prime Minister of not being “as clear as he could be” that some of the disorder emanated from “sectarian gangs”.

“We mustn’t be squeamish or selective in how we call out violence,” the Tory leadership contender told Times Radio.

“I think the Prime Minister has not been as clear as he could be about the fact that, whilst the majority, the overwhelming majority of the incidents that we’ve seen have emanated either from the far right or from a range of thugs and criminals who’ve chosen to take part in these events, there are nonetheless a much smaller number of sectarian gangs who have been causing disruption, violence and intimidation – for example, in Birmingham.

“And that is equally wrong. And it’s important that we have the moral clarity that is necessary in this moment, so that violence is violence and is called out as such, whoever is responsible for it.”

Mr Jenrick added that it was “wrong” that Sir Keir and Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, did not comment on Jess Phillips, the Home Office minister, appearing to “explain away or justify intimidation against a female journalist [by] sectarian gangs on the streets of her own city in Birmingham”.

Rioters face being charged with terror offences, Britain’s top prosecutor has warned.

Stephen Parkinson, the director of public prosecutions, said his team would use every legal power to jail those behind the disorder, and that terror legislation was already being used in one case.

More than 400 people have already been arrested in connection with the violence and disorder sweeping Britain. Many more arrests are expected in the coming days.

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Sadiq Khan posted on X, formerly Twitter: “The disorder, racism and violence that we have seen in towns and cities across the country in the last week have been truly shocking.

“I’m aware of reports that far-right groups are now planning to target locations in London and I want to be very clear to anyone thinking of spreading hatred and fear in our city: if you break the law, action will be taken against you.”

He added: “I know the shocking scenes have left many Muslims and minority ethnic communities scared and fearful, so I ask my fellow Londoners to check on their friends and neighbours and show them that care and compassion is what Londoners are all about.

“In London, we have zero-tolerance for racism, Islamophobia, antisemitism or any form of hate and we pride ourselves on being open, diverse and welcoming of all faiths and backgrounds.

“It’s woven deeply into the fabric of our great city and is why those who seek to divide our communities will never win.”

A “tiny minority” of people want to cause disruption, while the majority go about their everyday business, Jim McMahon has said.

The communities minister told BBC Breakfast: “I think it’s fair to say that people are feeling very anxious at the moment when they’re seeing the scenes that are on TV, when they’ve seen the locations that are being circulated online.

“That is genuinely causing anxiety in the community. And, of course, it’s right that people are vigilant, that people share any intelligence that they’ve got, and that people look after each other.

“But the vast majority of people today will go about their everyday business like they do every single day of the week and the year in peace and security.

“And for those people who want to disrupt, who want to cause damage, who want to cause the scenes that we have seen, again, they can absolutely expect to face the full force of the law because it’s important.”

Jim McMahon, the communities minister, has rejected claims that police are treating some groups more harshly than others amid days of disorder.

He told Times Radio he understands the narrative that Elon Musk and others are putting across when they talk about “two-tier” policing, in particular in relation to a counter-protest in Birmingham.

He said: “I certainly understand where the narrative comes from, because what he’s trying to do is to present a case that we treat different communities in a different way and somehow we give special treatment. That is not the case.”

He said that his understanding of the Birmingham incident was that police made a tactical decision to “withdraw and regroup” but that any potential criminal activity is expected to be followed up.

“Let’s not preempt the ultimate outcome of it, but the message needs to be clear it doesn’t matter what your background, if you take part in criminal damage, if you take part in violence, if you seek to disrupt communities and affect people’s way of life in an unlawful way, then you can expect to have dealt with by the police.”

He added: “The point is it is operational decisions - that is for the police on the ground to make those calls and to make those judgments - but I also want to be clear that people should not believe that because their arrest wasn’t taking place on the day that that somehow means that justice will not catch up with people.”

Sir Thomas Winsor, the former chief of constabulary, said Elon Musk should “stick to batteries, cars and rockets” and called for implementation of a licensing system for social media companies operating in the UK.

Speaking on LBC with Nick Ferrari, Sir Thomas said: “Mr Musk, it seems to me should stick to batteries, cars and rockets because he’s very good at it and leave to the UK authorities the job of dealing with the protection of the safety and security of our communities.”

When asked by Ferrari how he would “actually get your hands on an Elon Musk, or even, if he’s San Francisco, a Nick Clegg”, Sir Thomas said: “I’m not talking about individuals but if there are executives of large companies and those companies have or are thought to be committing offences - the regulatory system which I contemplated and spoke about five years ago was creating a licensing system in the UK.

“In other words, you need a licence from the government regulatory authority to operate public infrastructure like you do with energy, telecommunications, water and transport - they’re no different.

“And the conditions of those licences and if you break them, you can lose your licence, so you’re out of business.

“The conditions of the licence could say that the senior executives of the company must spend at least two weeks a year in the UK, and when they come to the UK, they can be lifted.”

Sir Thomas Winsor, who previously served as Her Majesty’s chief inspector of constabulary, said there should be “criminal liability” for senior managers at social media companies that tolerate “harmful material” and the incitement of crimes on their websites.

When asked how the online sector should be policed by Nick Ferrari on LBC, Sir Thomas replied: “It should be policed according to the law and vigorously.

“I think the Online Safety Act is a big step forward but it doesn’t go far enough.

“In my State of Police Report, which I gave to Parliament in 2018, I made the point that some social media companies, internet companies, now own and operate what, to many people, have become significant pieces of public infrastructure and therefore their stewardship of that infrastructure is not purely a matter of commercial freedom.

“And I said that merely fining some of the world’s richest companies for tolerating the presence of harmful material on their websites, and incitement to commit a crime is itself a crime, is not enough.

“I said there should be criminal liability for senior managers and that should be at the heart of a system of regulation.”

Police remain braced for disturbances despite a relatively quiet night on Tuesday after a week of violent unrest.

Although officers in Liverpool and Durham issued dispersal orders to head off potential unrest, Tuesday night was free of the violent scenes that have played out across Britain since the initial disturbances in Southport a week earlier.

But police are still anticipating a busy day on Wednesday as they monitor reports of at least 30 possible gatherings.

Around 100 people have already been charged in connection with the recent disturbances, and charges continued to be brought on Tuesday night with defendants expected in court on Wednesday.

More than 400 people have been arrested after disorder around England and Northern Ireland, according to police sources, with the number expected to rise in the coming days.