UK riots: Far-right mob storms Rotherham hotel and attacks police amid escalating violence
A far-right mob stormed a hotel allegedly used to house migrants in Rotherham, UK, on Sunday, as riots continued for a fifth day. The riots followed the deadly stabbings in Southport, which were falsely attributed to Muslims and migrants.
Footage broadcast by the BBC showed scores of rioters forcing their way into the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham after smashing windows and setting a bin outside the building on fire.
At least one police officer was wounded in the attacks as the mob, some draped in England flags, hurled bricks, beer bottles and other projectiles at officers.
Rioters could be heard on numerous live streams hosted on Tiktok chanting the name of far-right activist Tommy Robinson as they threw projectiles at police officers in riot gear.
Later on Sunday, riot police were deployed to Middlesbrough as groups of angry men took to the streets. In Bolton, authorities issued dispersal notices granting officers extra powers to deal with anti-social behaviour.
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Groups of of white men and women can be heard in Bolton chanting “Paki-wannabe” and “Paki” on numerous Tiktok livestreams at the police as they attempted to disperse them.
The violence comes after at least 90 people were arrested on Saturday during riots in major cities, including Manchester, Liverpool and Hull.
A mob in Liverpool torched a library, leaving part of the building in ruins.
Meanwhile, videos from Hull appeared to show an Asian man being attacked by a mob of white men blaming Muslims and immigrants for the stabbing attack in Southport.
Riots against Muslims and immigration erupted in Southport on Tuesday after three children were killed and eight others seriously wounded in a stabbing attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.
Hundreds of masked men threw bricks, plant pots and empty bins at the Southport Islamic Society Mosque and at riot police following a misinformation campaign falsely claiming the attacker was a Muslim.
Axel Rudakubana, a 17-year-old born to Christian Rwandan parents, has been charged with the murders.
The violence, which led to numerous arrests and put Britain's Muslim community on edge, presents a significant challenge for Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s month-old premiership.
It has also spotlighted hard-right agitators linked to football hooliganism at a time when anti-immigration elements are gaining some electoral success in British politics.
Starmer has accused "thugs" of "hijacking" the nation's grief to "sow hatred" and pledged that those committing violent acts would "face the full force of the law".
However, his administration has been criticised for failing to reach out to British Muslim community leaders and groups.
In a statement late on Saturday, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) said hundreds of mosques were toughening their security after far-right mobs "terrorised Muslim communities", triggering "anxiety and fear".
"What we saw on the streets of Britain [is] the consequence of unchecked Islamophobia: acceptable, potent, and very real in our society today," Zara Mohammed, the secretary general of the MCB, said in the statement.
"The government is right to speak out against the extremism witnessed on our streets, but it has been silent on the Islamophobia fuelling that extremism."
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