King Charles calls for unity after UK riots

LONDON:

King Charles has called for mutual respect and understanding after racist riots targeting Muslims and immigrants in Britain, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said on Friday, marking the first intervention by the monarch since the riots began last week.

The king thanked the police and emergency services for their efforts to restore peace and hailed the way community groups had tackled “aggression and criminality by a few”, the spokesman said.

“It remains Her Majesty’s hope that shared values ​​of mutual respect and understanding will continue to strengthen and unite the nation,” the spokesman said after Charles spoke by phone with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and police chiefs.

Charles set up a charity, the Princes Trust, in the 1970s, which has helped a million young people find work or set up community projects, and has continued to operate – including in riot-hit areas – since his coronation.

Thousands of specialist police officers are to remain on duty this weekend in case the unrest resumes after three days of calm.

The riots erupted after online posts falsely identified the suspected killer of three young girls in a July 29 stabbing attack in Southport, northwest England, as an Islamic immigrant.

The government is considering tougher regulations for social media companies.

After days of riots targeting Muslims and hotels housing migrants, Starmer said extra police numbers and swift justice had deterred what he described as “far-right thugs”.

Athletes in the Paris 2024 Olympic Village on Friday reflected on the memories made as the global sporting event drew to a close.

For the third day in a row, anti-racist protesters vastly outnumbered anti-immigrants in many locations.

“I work with people from different backgrounds and they’ve only been nice to me – we’re all equal,” said Emilia Finch, 22, speaking outside a hotel in Crawley, southern England, where asylum seekers are housed.

“There is no reason why anyone should be treated differently because of the color of their skin.”

Starmer said “significant sentences” handed down on a swift basis by courts were effective.

“This is a very important part of the message to anyone thinking of getting involved in further unrest,” he told reporters during a visit to a police command center in London.

By Friday night, 741 arrests had been made since the riots broke out and 302 people had been charged. Two of those convicted were jailed for inciting racial hatred in social media messages. Police said the arrests would continue for months.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said more than 6,000 trained law enforcement officers would be on duty over the weekend.

“It’s probably one of the strongest national policing responses we’ve ever had, certainly in the history of my career,” said Gavin Stephens, chairman of the NPCC.

While police said it was unclear how many, if any, anti-immigrant protests might take place, about 40 counter-demonstrations were planned for Saturday, according to a group called Stand Up to Racism.

A turning point?

Stephens said the tough action and strong message from anti-riot communities represented “potentially the beginning of a turning point”.

The first football games of the season this weekend could cause problems, although there was no specific information about such risks.

Charges have also been brought against a number of people who participated in counter-demonstrations.

A local councilor who was sacked by Starmer’s Labor Party after videos emerged of him calling for the throats of “disgusting Nazis” to be cut has been charged with inciting violent disorder.

Cabinet minister Nick Thomas-Symonds told Sky News the government will review the framework of legislation governing the responsibilities of social media companies over content that incites violence or hatred.

“We are ready to make changes if necessary,” he said of the Internet Security Act, which was passed in October but is not due to come into force until next year due to a consultation process.