British PM Keir Starmer Convenes Emergency Meeting Following Anti-Immigration Riots

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to hold an urgent meeting with police chiefs after violent anti-immigration protests escalated, resulting in buildings torched and 420 arrests. The unrest was triggered by misinformation related to a knife attack in Southport, exploited by anti-immigrant groups to incite chaos.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will convene an emergency meeting with police chiefs on Monday as anti-immigration protests turned violent, with buildings and vehicles set ablaze and hotels housing asylum seekers targeted. Riots erupted in several towns and cities, leading to 420 arrests so far.

The unrest followed the killing of three girls in a knife attack in Southport, northwest England. Misinformation claiming the attacker was a newly arrived radical Islamist fueled the riots. Police confirmed the suspect was British and not a terrorist. Interior Minister Yvette Cooper stated that rioters were using the tragedy to incite racial hatred.

Weekend riots spread to Liverpool, Bristol, Tamworth, Middlesbrough, and Belfast, with young men in balaclavas waving British flags and chanting anti-migrant slogans. Protesters in Rotherham attempted to breach a hotel housing asylum seekers. Police attribute the violence to online disinformation amplified by figures like Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson. Yaxley-Lennon denied the claims, and social media interactions have further heightened tensions.

(With inputs from agencies.)