FILE PHOTO: A police car sits parked near the floral tributes in memory of Elsie Dot Stancombe, Bebe King and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, three children victims of a knife attack during a dance event in Southport, Britain August 5, 2024. REUTERS/Manon Cruz/File Photo
LONDON (Reuters) -British police braced for further anti-Muslim riots on Wednesday as far-right groups planned to target asylum centres and immigration law firms across the country, prompting anti-fascist protesters to organise counter demonstrations.
Britain has been gripped by an escalating wave of violence that erupted early last week when three young girls were killed in a knife attack in northwest England, triggering a wave of false messaging online that wrongly identified the suspected killer as an Islamist migrant.
Specialist immigration law firms and migrant support centres shut for the day and some family doctors services in areas affected by the protests said they would close early to protect their staff.
Messages also swirled on social media, with people with large online followings relaying police guidance and neighbourhood WhatsApp groups detailing areas to avoid.
Asylum Link Merseyside, which supports asylum seekers and refugees in Liverpool, said its building was shut and would not accept any arrivals. "Our staff are currently working on securing the building," it said.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a former chief prosecutor who is facing his first crisis since winning a July 4 election, has warned rioters they will face lengthy jail terms as he sought to stamp out the worst outbreak of violence in Britain in 13 years.
"Our first duty is to ensure our communities are safe," he told broadcasters.
"They will be safe. We are doing everything we can to ensure that where a police response is needed, it is in place, where support is needed for particular places, that is in place."
In towns and cities groups of a few hundred rioters have clashed with police and smashed windows of hotels housing asylum-seekers from Africa and the Middle East, chanting "get them out" and "stop the boats" - a reference to those arriving in Britain in small dinghies without permission.
They have also pelted mosques with rocks, terrifying local communities including ethnic minorities who have felt targeted by the violence.
"I know the shocking scenes have left many Muslims and minority ethnic communities scared and fearful, so I ask my fellow Londoners to check on their friends and neighbours and show them that care and compassion is what Londoners are all about," London Mayor Sadiq Khan said.
COUNTER DEMONSTRATIONS
Posts online said immigration centres and law firms aiding migrants would be targeted on Wednesday, with one post saying: "Wednesday night lads. They won't stop coming until you tell them."
In response anti-racism and anti-fascist groups organised counter demonstrations in towns and cities across the country.
One typical post about a planned far-right protest in the southern coastal city of Brighton said: "Racist scum are trying to target an immigration lawyer's office. We won't let it happen - wear face coverings and face masks."
The government has put together a so-called "standing army" of 6,000 specialist police officers to respond to any outbreaks of violence, and say they will have a big enough presence to deal with any unrest.
"This country is faced with one of the worst spates of violent disorder in the last decade," Deputy Assistant Commissioner Andy Valentine, who is in charge of the policing operation in London, said.
"We will not tolerate this on our streets. We will use every power, tactic and tool available to prevent further scenes of disorder."
Stephen Parkinson, the director of public prosecutions said children as young as 11 have been involved in the violent disorder. "They may face lifelong consequences for their actions," he said.
Starmer has vowed a reckoning for those caught rioting, looting shops and burning cars.
He said more than 400 people had been arrested and 100 had been charged. Sentencing of some rioters in Liverpool is expected on Wednesday.
Britain's prisons have already been facing an overcrowding crisis, with Starmer's new government announcing last month plans to release more prisoners early to ease the pressures on the system.
(Reporting by Kate Holton; Editing by Alex Richardson)
