A hotel housing asylum seekers near Birmingham, in central England, was targeted amidst a wave of violent anti-immigration demonstrations organised by far-right protesters across Britain, said police on Sunday.
In an official statement, Staffordshire Police said, “A large group of individuals have been throwing projectiles, smashing windows, starting fires and targeting police at the hotel in the town of Tamworth, with one officer injured.”
Hundreds of demonstrators confronted riot police equipped with shields in the northeastern English city of Middlesbrough. Some protesters hurled bricks, cans, and pots at the officers. Additionally, the demonstrators confiscated a camera from an AFP news crew and destroyed it, though the journalists were unharmed.
These recent incidents followed police reports stating that over 150 individuals had been arrested since Saturday during clashes at far-right rallies in Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Blackpool, and Hull, as well as in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
The violence is the worst England had seen since the summer of 2011 when widespread rioting followed the police killing of a mixed-race man in north London.
UK PM Keir Starmer warns
UK leader Keir Starmer warned far-right protesters on Sunday they would “regret” participating in England‘s worst rioting in 13 years, as disturbances linked to the murder of three children earlier this week flared across the country.
“I guarantee you will regret taking part in this disorder. Whether directly or those whipping up this action online, and then running away themselves,” Starmer said in a TV address.
There was “no justification” for what he called “far-right thuggery”, he added, promising to bring the perpetrators “to justice”.
The violence is a major challenge for Starmer, elected only a month ago after leading Labour to a landslide win over the Conservatives.
What led to UK protests?
The unrest was sparked by false rumours circulating on social media regarding the background of 17-year-old British-born suspect Axel Rudakubana, who is accused of killing children aged six, seven, and nine and injuring ten others.
Police have attributed the violence to supporters and affiliated groups of the English Defence League, an anti-Islam organisation founded 15 years ago, whose members have been associated with football hooliganism.
Agitators have targeted at least two mosques, prompting the UK interior ministry to announce on Sunday the provision of new emergency security measures for Islamic places of worship.
The protests have been promoted on far-right social media channels under the slogan “Enough is enough.” Participants have waved English and British flags while chanting slogans such as “Stop the boats,” referring to the irregular migrants crossing the Channel from France to Britain.