Aug. 10 (UPI) — King Charles III has appealed for “mutual respect and understanding” in the wake of the wave of anti-immigrant, far-right violence that has swept through Britain this month.
In a statement distributed to media outlets on Friday, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said Charles had spoken to Prime Minister Keir Starmer and key police officials, praising them for their actions in facing down violent protesters in cities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
“The King shared how he had been greatly encouraged by the many examples of community spirit that had countered the aggression and criminality from a few with the compassion and resilience of the many,” the spokesman said.
In his phone conversation with Starmer and the police chiefs made from Scotland during his summer vacation, the King also issued a call for tolerance after the riots revealed deep divisions in the country, particularly along racial lines.
“It remains His Majesty’s hope that shared values of mutual respect and understanding will continue to strengthen and unite the nation,” the Palace said.
In the worst civil disorder seen in Britain in more than a decade, the wave of far-right violence first erupted late last month after three children were killed and eight others were wounded, five critically, in a stabbing spree committed July 29 at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the seaside town of Southport, England.
Protests linked to the anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant English Defense League spread to other cities across the country over the next 10 days as rioters targeted mosques and hotels known for being occupied by asylum seekers.
Massive counter-demonstrations organized by anti-racist groups staged across British cities on Wednesday, as well as a beefed-up police response, appeared to have calmed the situation, but police remained on guard over the weekend should trouble again flare.
More than 100 police officers have been injured during the unrest, with some requiring hospitalization, the leader of the Police Federation of England and Wales told the BBC.
More than 600 arrests had been made as of Friday with more than 150 people charged, the broadcaster reported.
