Archbishop says rioters ‘defile the flag they wrap themselves in’ after violence continues for seventh night
Good morning.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has said that rioters “defile the flag they wrap themselves in” on Tuesday morning, following seven days of far-riot riots that have seen violence spread across several towns and cities in England, as well as Belfast in Northern Ireland.
Archbishop Justin Welby told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “This is not the United Kingdom. It is not British. It is not English. They defile the flag they wrap themselves in.”
He said there had been “manipulation … by people on social media, by people abroad and that needs to be strongly resisted.”
Here is a quick summary of the developments overnight:
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Police officers have been injured during “sustained violence” in Plymouth as disorder on Monday continued for a seventh day after the Southport stabbings.
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In Belfast, social media footage showed officers attacked with missiles in the Donegall Road and Sandy Row areas. The violence occurred in the same area where two businesses were attacked on Saturday.
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Nearly 400 arrests have been made since the Southport stabbings a week ago, after which the riots began. The total is expected to rise each day, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said.
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Neil Basu, Britain’s former head of counter-terrorism, said he believed the worst of the far-right violence should be treated as terrorism.
Key events
A woman from Middlesbrough has spoked about the ‘traumatic’ experience of having her family’s home attacked in the far-right riots that reached her area over the weekend.
A woman called Anika told BBC Radio 4 about the rioting in her area, which left damage to their property. “We closed all the blinds and curtains, windows, whatever could lock. Go upstairs obviously, because it’s not safe to be downstairs.”
She said people tried to get into their home, smashing the door’s window. “They were swearing racial slurs and then jumping on top of the [car] windscreen, the roof of it, breaking the side mirror windows – the car had to be a write-off.” She added that her mother, a carer, had not been able to go to the child she cares for due to the riot and damage to the vehicle.
Anika described the attack as “really scary”. “It’s just been like a traumatic experience, like we’ve never experienced it our life.”
Government introduces more than 500 extra prison places over riots
The government has introduced more than 500 additional prison places in response to the far-right riots, the justice minister has said, and those causing disorder will have a “prison place waiting for them”.
Nearly 400 arrests have been made since the disorder began a week ago in the wake of the Southport stabbings. Police officers were attacked and injured in Plymouth, Belfast and Darlington on Monday.
“We will make sure that anyone that is given a custodial sentence as a result of the riots and disorder, there will be a prison place waiting for them,” the justice minister Heidi Alexander told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
In response to the disorder, the government had introduced 567 additional prison places that were due to come forward at the end of the month, Alexander said.
The new prison spaces will be in Stocken prison in Rutland and Cookham Wood young offender institution in Kent, according to the justice minister.
Archbishop says rioters ‘defile the flag they wrap themselves in’ after violence continues for seventh night
Good morning.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has said that rioters “defile the flag they wrap themselves in” on Tuesday morning, following seven days of far-riot riots that have seen violence spread across several towns and cities in England, as well as Belfast in Northern Ireland.
Archbishop Justin Welby told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “This is not the United Kingdom. It is not British. It is not English. They defile the flag they wrap themselves in.”
He said there had been “manipulation … by people on social media, by people abroad and that needs to be strongly resisted.”
Here is a quick summary of the developments overnight:
-
Police officers have been injured during “sustained violence” in Plymouth as disorder on Monday continued for a seventh day after the Southport stabbings.
-
In Belfast, social media footage showed officers attacked with missiles in the Donegall Road and Sandy Row areas. The violence occurred in the same area where two businesses were attacked on Saturday.
-
Nearly 400 arrests have been made since the Southport stabbings a week ago, after which the riots began. The total is expected to rise each day, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said.
-
Neil Basu, Britain’s former head of counter-terrorism, said he believed the worst of the far-right violence should be treated as terrorism.