6,000 police "on duty, intelligence on online platforms brought to the "front of the wave"

About 6,000 British riot police are on high alert to respond to riots. (Source: TV47 Digital)

According to AFP news agency, about 2,000 reserve riot police have also been deployed across the country to reinforce forces as quickly as possible. Police are also stepping up patrols in the streets. This is the largest police mobilization in the UK since the 2011 riots.

Police are equipped with body cameras to record the riots and help identify criminals.

The force is also combing through video clips shared on social media to find evidence and arrest troublemakers, while also cracking down on those who organize and incite online crimes.

Meanwhile, intelligence teams have been set up to monitor the cyber activities of prominent organizations and influential people to detect protest activities, as well as attack targets of far-right extremists.

Riots have erupted across the UK after three girls were killed and 10 others injured in a stabbing attack in Southport. Axel Rudakubana, 17, has been charged with murder and attempted murder.

However, before the suspect's identity was confirmed, false information spread on social media that the subject was a Muslim who had come to the UK illegally by boat and was seeking asylum.

Following the misinformation, far-right protesters took to the streets in cities across the UK to protest immigration and Islamophobia. The protests turned violent, with many clashes between far-right protesters and police or opposing groups.

Authorities, police and analysts in the UK have accused online platforms such as Telegram, TikTok and X of playing a role in fueling the riots in the UK, especially Telegram, after some far-right groups used the app to exchange information to organize and incite protests.

According to data from online analytics firm Similarweb, the number of Telegram users “online” skyrocketed to 3.7 million on July 30, the day the first riots broke out in the UK, in which at least 50 police officers were injured.

Previously, on July 29, the time of the stabbing that killed three children and injured 10 others in the town of Southport, the number of Telegram users also increased from an average of 2.7 million people per day since the beginning of 2024 to 3.1 million people.

Britain's communications watchdog Ofcom has urged tech platforms to "proactively" remove content that promotes violence, incites racial hatred or promotes violence.

In more than a week of riotous protests in more than 20 cities and towns across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, police have arrested 428 people for disorderly conduct and assaulting police. More than 100 police officers have also been injured in clashes with protesters, some seriously.