The prime minister held an emergency meeting with top police officers at Downing Street following a second night of unrest with London, Hartlepool and Manchester all experiencing violence.
At a press conference after the meeting, Starmer condemned a “tiny, mindless minority in society” saying the community of Southport “had to suffer twice” in the wake of the stabbings.
He branded the riots “not protest” and “not legitimate” as he stated he would not permit a “breakdown of law and order” and that he would crackdown on the “far-right.”
Starmer said: “We make no distinction. Crime is crime. And so, to that end, I can announce today that, following this meeting, we will establish a national capability across police forces to tackle violent disorder.
“These thugs are mobile, they move from community to community. We must have a policing response that can do the same. Shared intelligence, wider deployment of facial recognition technology and preventative action, criminal behaviour orders to restrict their movements, before they can even board a train. In just the same way that we do with football hooligans.”
The prime minister went on to issue a warning to social media companies and their owners that “violent disorder, clearly whipped up online” is “also a crime.”
Starmer also said that the time for “questions” about what led up to the stabbings in Southport was after the trial had taken place saying that the prosecution “must not be prejudiced.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood were also present at the Downing Street meeting along with at least a dozen police chiefs.
In the capital, more than 100 people were arrested after protesters on Whitehall launched beer cans and bottles at police and lit flares in Parliament Square.
Demonstrators waving St George’s flags and banners saying “enough is enough” and “stop the boats” congregated outside Downing Street in protest after the killing of three young girls in Southport, Merseyside.
The angry scenes also included chants of: “We want our country back” and, “Oh Tommy Robinson,” referring to the right-wing activist.
The Metropolitan police arrested 111 people for alleged offences including violent disorder, assaulting police officers, possession of knives and offensive weapons and breach of protest conditions.
“Last night our officers faced unacceptable scenes of disorder and violence,” Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said.
“All our thoughts should be with the victims and families of those impacted by the most dreadful attack in Southport. It is shameful that some have sought to exploit this tragedy as justification for their own violence and criminality.”
A dedicated team of officers is working to bring charges, the force added.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said there is “no place for criminality on our streets” as he described scenes in the capital as “completely unacceptable.”
Trouble in the North
In the north, disruption continued late into the night in Hartlepool, where demonstrators set fire to a police car and pelted officers with missiles.So far eleven arrests have been made by Cleveland Police, with more expected.
Cleveland Police Federation chairman Paul Crowley branded the “disgraceful acts of mindless violence” as “utterly deplorable” and said several officers were injured and needed hospital treatment.
Police in Manchester confronted another demonstration outside the Holiday Inn on Oldham Road before dispersing the crowd after protesters started throwing beer bottles at officers and members of the public.
Back down south, Aldershot, Hampshire appears to have escaped the violence seen in other parts of the country, but a demonstration still saw riot police deployed.
Last night’s unrest follows similar scenes in Southport on Tuesday, where demonstrators attacked police and set cars on fire.
Ahead of the Downing Street meeting, Lord Walney, the Government’s independent adviser on political violence, said he hoped the gathering would examine powers to “refuse and prevent further so-called ‘protests’ that are being used by far-right activists as a vehicle for serious disorder and violence.”
Stabbing Suspect Named
The meeting comes the same day the 17-year-old boy charged with the murder of the three girls in Southport was named as Axel Rudakabana.
His identity had been withheld from the public due to his young age but Judge Andrew Menary KC said he wouldn’t impose an order giving him anonymity at Liverpool Crown Court as the accused will turn 18 in six days.
Rudakubana, who lived with his Rwandan parents and has an older brother, is charged with the murder of Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, on Monday.
He is also charged with the attempted murder of yoga instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes and eight children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, as well as with possession of a kitchen knife with a curved blade.
He will next appear at Liverpool Crown Court on October 25 for a plea hearing.
