At least 150 people have been arrested since Saturday in Great Britain in protests by far-right groups that have been taking place over the murder of three teenage girls in Southport.
There were riots in Hull, Liverpool, Bristol, Manchester and Blackpool in England, as well as Belfast in Northern Ireland.
Police have responded to violent scenes, while Prime Minister Keir Starmer has spoken about the events, condemning the attacks.
He said that those who participated in the riots will face the full force of the law.
"There is no place on our streets for protests by far-right groups. You will regret having participated either directly, or even instigating this action," said Starmer.
He will hold an emergency response meeting during the day, called a "Cobra" meeting, which is conducted by an emergency response committee made up of ministers, civil servants, police and intelligence officers.
Over the past few years, Cobra meetings have been held regularly during the Covid-19 pandemic and in 2019 following the floods in England.
VIDEO - Footage from the protests:
BREAKING: Leader of Reform UK, Nigel Farage is calling for Parliament to be recalled over the widespread anti-immigration riots
UK riots latest ➡️ https://t.co/fZZYifldqt
📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/UUCAmoC2P2- Sky News (@SkyNews) August 5, 2024
VIDEO | Prime Minister Starmer's statement:
I utterly condemn the far-right thuggery we have seen this weekend.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) August 4, 2024
Be in no doubt: those who have participated in this violence will face the full force of the law. pic.twitter.com/uNeJtD8pCQ
Starmer to hold emergency meeting as protests escalate
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will hold an emergency meeting with police chiefs on Monday after anti-immigration protests escalated, in which buildings and vehicles were burned and hotels housing asylum seekers were targeted.
Protests erupted across Britain's cities last week after three teenage girls were killed in a knife attack in Southport, and 420 people were arrested.
The killings were used by anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim groups, while misinformation was spread online that the suspected attacker is a radical Muslim who has just arrived in Britain. The police have said that the suspect was born in Britain and that they are not treating it as a terrorist incident.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said protesters felt "emboldened to incite racial hatred", throwing bricks at police officers, looting shops and attacking mosques and Asian businesses.
Over the weekend, protests broke out in Liverpool, Bristol, Tamworth, Middlesbrough and Belfast, with many young men wearing masks and British flags shouting "Stop the boats", a reference to how the migrants arrived.
In Rotherham, protesters tried to break into a hotel housing asylum seekers.
