British authorities have so far arrested more than 1,000 people after days of rioting that included violence, arson and looting, as well as racist attacks targeting Muslims and immigrants, the National Police Chiefs’ Commission (NPCC) said.
The riots followed the July 29 murder of three girls in the northern English town of Southport, which was attributed to a young man who, based on online misinformation, was said to be a Muslim and an immigrant.
Violence erupted in cities across England and Northern Ireland, but the number of riots has been reduced since efforts to identify those involved were stepped up last week. Many were soon imprisoned, and some received long prison sentences.
The last mass riots were in 2011.
The NPCC announced that 1,024 people had been arrested and 575 charged in the UK. Among those arrested is a 69-year-old man accused of vandalism in Liverpool and an 11-year-old boy in Belfast, reports Al Jazeera Balkans.
The 13-year-old pleaded guilty at Basingstoke Crown Court to violent disorder, prosecutors said, after she was seen punching the entrance to an asylum seeker hotel on July 31.
“This alarming incident has caused real fear among the people targeted by these thugs, and it is especially disturbing to know that such a young girl was involved in these violent riots,” said prosecutor Thomas Power.
The last time the UK faced mass riots was in 2011 when police killed a dark-skinned man, leading to days of street violence.
Swift and tough judicial action was seen as useful in quelling unrest in 2011, when 4,000 people were arrested over several weeks.
