Riots and unrest have broken out in a number of cities and towns across England in the last few weeks, including Manchester, Hartlepool, Liverpool, Birmingham and Aldershot, following the murder of three young girls in Southport.
Now, more than 6,000 specialist officers have been mobilised to respond to as many as 30 far-right protests across the UK tonight.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council has issued a statement from the Council Lead, Chief Constable BJ Harrington, saying that 428 arrests have already been made and around 100 people charged, with that number expected to rise significantly day by day.
The riots have caused fear and uncertainty across the country, and disability and carer’s organisations have come together to condemn the riots and urge the government to take action.
Disability Rights UK says it is “sickened by the ongoing racist violence” and they are aware that “disabled people of colour may be or feel at greater risk of harm in these circumstances.”
In a statement, DRUK said: “We support the Prime Minister’s assertion that these are not protests but ‘organised, violent thuggery’. The victims of the horrific Southport attack are sidelined and forgotten by the rioters, who are cruelly and cynically exploiting what happened to their own, racist, ends. DR UK sends our condolences to their families and the survivors of that terrible attack.
“DR UK sends solidarity to everyone impacted – especially and explicitly Black and brown people, Muslims, Roma people, and migrants experiencing and witnessing this violence. We demand urgent action is taken by the Government to eliminate the conditions that enable the far-right to thrive.
“We have also seen great community efforts to come together to protect those at risk and to clean up and repair our broken cities. Let us draw on this strength, let us define our country by inclusion, by striving to be better, by choosing hope over hate.”
Carers Trust’s Chief Executive, Kirsty McHugh has also released a statement condemning the “appalling violence” over the past week. She says that many local care organisations have been impacted by the riots and some carers have been unable to access vital services, such as food banks, which have been destroyed.
Ms McHugh said: “We condemn the appalling violence on our streets over the past week and the Islamophobia and racial hatred at its heart. We are acutely aware of the impact on many local carer organisations, their staff and the carers they support.
“As an anti-racist organisation, we are also aware of the wider effects on our own staff. Attacking vital local services, such as food banks and Citizens Advice Bureaus, is a direct attack on local communities, including carers, many of whom use the very services that these thugs want to destroy.
“Carers Trust’s mission is to build a caring society. Witnessing the resilience and compassion of local people, coming together to volunteer their time to show solidarity and support, has been inspirational. As communities recover and rebuild, we know that our brilliant and committed network of local carer services will be doing everything they can to play their part.”
