London: Following several days of violent far-right protests, public order in the UK has stabilised, according to the police. However, they issued a warning that the disturbance would have an effect for several months or possibly years.
“The situation in England, Scotland and Wales has somewhat stabilised over the last few days,” said B.J. Harrington, head of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) for Public Order, on Sunday.
However, he warned that Northern Ireland is still facing “significant challenges”, where 10 police officers were injured by petrol bombs during a violent disorder on Saturday afternoon, Xinhua news agency reported.
Since the end of July, far-right demonstrations have erupted across the nation, prompted by a knife attack that claimed the lives of three children in Southport, northwest England. Police officers have been hurt in the unrest, shops were looted, and hotels sheltering asylum seekers have been attacked.
Authorities think that Wednesday’s events marked a turning point because of the strong police presence in large cities and villages and the prompt judicial measures taken against rioters.
The UK police had braced for a possible return of riots this weekend, given the start of a new football season and an uptick in temperature. But it turned out to be relatively peaceful except for a few isolated, small-scale far-right protests.
Furthermore, during the weekend, anti-racism demonstrations drew thousands of participants from cities including London, Newcastle, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, Belfast, Glasgow, and Edinburgh.
However, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, writing in The Observer, said the impact of days of disorder would be “felt for months and years to come,” citing court backlogs and prisons “close to overflowing.”
The NPCC said on Saturday that 779 people have been arrested in connection with the rioting, of whom 349 were charged.
Around 30 people have been jailed for their involvement in violent disorder or inciting racial hatred online so far, with the longest sentence being three years.
The number of convictions is expected to rise as the government has vowed to make those who break the law feel the “full force of the law.”
–IANS
