Police in
England urged to protect mosques as far right plans more rallies
Fears asylum
seeker accommodation may come under threat from ‘mindless thuggery’ of
agitators
Josh
Halliday and Neha Gohil
Thu 1 Aug
2024 18.05 BST
Police
forces have been urged to step up patrols outside mosques and asylum seeker
accommodation amid plans for at least 19 far-right rallies across England in
coming days.
Violent
demonstrations have spread from Southport to London, Hartlepool, Manchester and
Aldershot after the stabbing atrocity at a children’s holiday club on Monday.
Community
leaders on Thursday said they were increasingly fearful of further unrest after
mosques and asylum seeker accommodation were targeted by crowds of
“intimidating” agitators.
The riots
began after misinformation circulated widely online about the identity and
motives of the suspect in the Southport murders, who was named on Thursday as
17-year-old Axel Rudakubana. The media had been unable to name the teenager,
who was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents, because he is under 18.
But a judge,
Andrew Menary KC, said his name should be reported on the basis that continued
anonymity risked “allowing others who are up to mischief to continue to spread
disinformation in a vacuum”.
Rudakubana,
is next due to appear in court in October accused of murdering Alice Dasilva
Aguiar, nine, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Bebe King, six, and attempting to
murder 10 others.
Mosques in
Southport and Hartlepool were attacked by rioters on Tuesday and Wednesday amid
unfounded online rumours that the suspect was Muslim, when little if anything
is known about his beliefs or motivation.
In
Manchester and in Aldershot in Hampshire, asylum seeker accommodation was
targeted by demonstrators carrying placards that read “deport them, don’t
support them” and “no apartments for illegals”. In central London,
demonstrators threw flares and cans while chanting “rule Britannia”, “save our
kids” and the mantra of the previous Conservative government: “Stop the boats.”
Mosque
Security, a company that advises faith leaders on protection, said it had
received inquiries from more than 100 mosques seeking help in recent days.
Shaukat Warraich, its director, said the firm’s online security recommendations
had been downloaded “in their hundreds” as a result of “the false anti-Muslim
narrative being peddled following the Southport murders”.
There were
also anecdotal reports of mosques cancelling events this weekend because of
security fears.
The Guardian
has seen details of at least 19 far-right rallies being planned for the coming
days in towns and cities across England. Many of the events are taking place
under the banner “enough is enough” and “protect our kids” – the same slogan
used by demonstrators outside Downing Street on Wednesday evening. More than
110 people were arrested after protesters clashed with police.
Counter-demonstrations
are due to take place in Manchester and Liverpool amid fears that
anti-immigration groups are feeling emboldened by the unrest inspired by the
Southport murders.
One online
group said its membership had “absolutely rocketed in the past few days”. Tell
Mama, an organisation that tracks Islamophobia, called for greater police
protection for mosques.
Iman Atta,
its director, said: “We absolutely need to see the police organise and step up
their patrols around mosques and asylum seeker accommodation. It would be good
to see neighbourhood teams change their patrol times to provide additional
reassurance to the communities.
“Last week
has demonstrated how the far right can organise online and promote hate and
misinformation towards Muslim communities, refugees and asylum seekers. We ask
communities to keep calm, look out for each other and to remain vigilant.”
Nahella
Ashraf, of Stand Up to Racism Manchester, said it would be “great” to see more
police patrolling far-right activity this weekend but said this would not solve
the longer-term problems behind the riots.
“Before the
election, with all the attacks on asylum seekers, it’s not surprising we’re
seeing this unleashed,” she said. “We’ve had years where people are feeling
angry and neglected and the cost of living crisis feeds into it. It’s the
climate the politicians have set.”
Mark
Webster, the chief constable of Cleveland police, said the unrest in Hartlepool
was “mindless thuggery”. Asked what the motivation was for the disorder, he
said: “There is an opportunity to go out and damage things, and just exhibit a
bit of violence. I don’t think there is a principle at stake, this was not a
legitimate protest or demonstration.
“I think
there is some mindless thuggery and that’s why we are being really proactive to
go out and arrest people. There’s no excuse for last night.”
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