Last week’s stabbing incident that resulted in the deaths of three dance class girls in the UK has sparked chaos, leading to the arrest of hundreds by authorities. The newly appointed Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, strongly condemned the actions and vowed to punish the rioters to the fullest extent.
This has been one of the most serious social unrests in the UK in recent years. On Sunday, the situation continued to escalate as rioters vandalized and set fire to two holiday hotels in northern England, one of which was used to accommodate asylum seekers. False information circulating online claimed that the suspect in last week’s murder case was a refugee seeking asylum and mobilized people to participate in anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant protests.
Authorities have identified the suspect of the attack as Axel Rudakubana, charged with three counts of murder and ten counts of attempted murder. The 17-year-old suspect was born in Wales, UK, to Rwandan parents.
In the UK, officials usually do not disclose the names of suspects under 18, but in this case, the judge ordered the suspect’s identity to be revealed partly to prevent the spread of misinformation.
According to local authorities, on Sunday, protesters smashed hotel windows, set fires, threw bricks, cans, and bottles at police, and even used fire extinguishers against the officers, resulting in at least ten injured police officers, one of whom remained unconscious.
Since the knife attack last week that resulted in the deaths of three children and hospitalization of ten others, protests and riots have erupted across the UK. Rioters set fire to a library, attacked a mosque, and threw flares at the statue of Winston Churchill, a British leader during World War II.
Thousands of police officers have been deployed by authorities, leading to the arrest of several hundred individuals linked to the riots. It is expected that more arrests may follow as investigations progress.
Prime Minister Starmer released a statement on Sunday afternoon, stating that authorities will “bring these thugs to justice at all costs.”
“I guarantee you will regret being part of this riot, whether you were directly involved or those who incited such actions online and then fled,” he said. “This is not protest; this is organized violence and has no place on our streets or on the internet.”
Many of the demonstrations over the past week have been organized by online groups rallying people with phrases like “enough is enough,” “save our children,” and “stop the boats.” “Stop the boats” is a slogan aimed at supporting a policy of mandatory return of boats carrying asylum-seeking migrants.