Over the past weekend, more than 150 people were arrested after violent disorder broke out in towns and cities across the UK, which has prompted Downing Street to hold an emergency response meeting on Monday. The meeting will update the government on the violent unrest and the response that is anticipated in the coming days. The police responded to the violent scenes in Rotherham, Middlesbrough, Bolton, and other locations across the UK.
The Cobra meeting follows some of the worst rioting the UK has seen in recent years, fueled by misinformation on social media and far-right groups inflaming tensions. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has suggested that social media companies need to take some responsibility and that criminal activity online is being pursued. During the prime minister’s televised address on Sunday, he warned those involved that they will regret their actions.
In Rotherham, at least ten police officers were injured, with one left unconscious after anti-immigration demonstrators threw planks of wood at officers and sprayed them with fire extinguishers; a large bin was also set alight. The hotel housing asylum seekers was attacked, and hotel employees and residents, some of whom were asylum seekers, were left terrified. Meanwhile, in Middlesbrough, a group of rioters smashed windows of houses and cars and hurled objects at officers.
Various parts of England and Northern Ireland have experienced violence over the past week. This has been fueled by misinformation on social media and far-right groups inflaming tensions. The emergency response meeting on Monday will provide the government with an update on the violence over the weekend and the response in the coming days. Ministers have suggested that courts could sit 24 hours to fast-track prosecutions, and police forces have measures in place to draft in extra officers to tackle potential unrest, as seen in the handling of the 2011 riots.
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