The riots followed the murder of three young girls in the northern English town of Southport on July 29, and were fueled by misinformation on social media claiming the attacker was a Muslim immigrant, even though the perpetrator was a British-born individual.
Violence has erupted in numerous cities across England and Northern Ireland, although it has subsided in recent days.
An anti-immigration protester is arrested by police in Newcastle, England, on August 10, 2024. Photo: Reuters
Many were quickly jailed, some serving lengthy prison sentences. The National Police Chiefs Council said in its latest announcement that 1,024 people had been arrested and 575 charged across the UK.
Those arrested ranged from a 69-year-old man charged with vandalism in Liverpool to an 11-year-old boy in Belfast.
Prosecutors even said a 13-year-old girl pleaded guilty to disturbing the peace at Basingstoke Court after being found assaulting the entrance to a hotel for asylum seekers on July 31.
Prosecutor Thomas Power said: "This alarming incident will cause real fear among those who are targeted by these thugs – and it is heartbreaking to know that such a young girl was involved in this violence."
The last time the UK witnessed widespread riots was in 2011, when the police shooting of a black man triggered days of street violence, resulting in around 4,000 arrests over several weeks.
Huy Hoang (according to Reuters)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/bao-loan-o-vuong-quoc-anh-hon-1000-nguoi-bi-bat-gom-ca-tre-em-post307575.html
