A hotel has been targeted on Sunday as demonstrations and riots continue across the United Kingdom in the wake of a knife attack last week. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday condemned the violence and said that perpetrators would face the full force of the law.
Police forces in England and Northern Ireland have arrested around 100 people following chaotic scenes in multiple cities where pro- and anti-immigration demonstrators clashed.
On Sunday, masked rioters launched lengths of wood and sprayed fire extinguishers at police officers outside a Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.
Videos from social media appeared to show demonstrators storming the hotel, with unconfirmed reports of a fire inside.
A police helicopter circled overhead, and at least one injured officer in riot gear was carried away as the atmosphere turned febrile.
Elsewhere, Greater Manchester Police said sections 34, 60, and 60 AA powers have been authorised to cover the town of Bolton until 10 p.m. on Sunday, giving police enhanced dispersal and stop and search powers.
“I utterly condemn the far-right thuggery we’ve seen this weekend,” Starmer said in a statement, adding that the actions were criminal violence and not legitimate protest.
“Be in no doubt, those that have participated in this violence will face the full force of the law.”
In Middlesbrough, hundreds of protesters squared up to police with shields at Middlesbrough’s Cenotaph, throwing bricks, cans, and pots at officers.
A group of demonstrators smashed windows and cars in a residential area, and a scuffle broke out between demonstrators and a small group of people whose cars were smashed.
Cleveland Police officers have made several arrests and asked the public to avoid the area.
Merseyside Police said they have also invoked Section 60 stop and search powers in Liverpool and Southport.
The scenes followed a week of unrest across the country after three young school girls were killed on July 29 in a knife attack in Southport, in which eight other children and two adults were also injured.
The sole suspect charged was 17-year-old Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, 17, who was born in Wales to Rwandan parents.
Before the authorities identified him, another individual had been falsely identified as the suspect by social media users, who claimed he was a small boat asylum seeker.
On Saturday, pro- and anti-immigration demonstrators clashed in a number of cities.
Teams worked through the night to reopen streets in cities such as Hull, where volunteers armed with brushes turned up from 7 a.m. to assist council crews.
Following demonstrations on Saturday, Humberside Police arrested 20 people in Hull while Lancashire Police arrested more than 20 people across the county.
Avon and Somerset arrested 16, Hampshire Police arrested five, and two were arrested in Leicester.
Merseyside Police said the force arrested 34 people over the week, including 10 in Southport, 12 in Liverpool, and 12 in Walton.
Dorset Police issued a statement ahead of two planned protests in Weymouth town centre on Sunday, saying rumours that asylum seekers on Bibby Stockholm will be moved to local hotels are not true.
Asked whether enough is being done to respond to the disorder, policing minister Dame Diana said the government has been “reassured” that forces are able to meet the scale of the challenge.
“The police have made it very clear that they have all the resources they need at the moment … they have the powers that they need,” the minister told BBC News.
Chief Constable BJ Harrington, National Police Chiefs’ Council’s public order lead, said the “appalling behaviour” of rioters “in no way shows compassion and respect for the little girls who were killed and injured last week.”
He said 130 extra units, or around 4,000 extra officers, have been deployed across the country, warning, u“Anyone committing a criminal offence will be detained and brought before the courts.”
