Riot police will be on standby in every force in England and Wales to tackle planned far-right protests across the country this weekend, as religious leaders condemned “shameful” attempts to sow hatred after the Southport murders.
Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Christian leaders were among those calling for calm at any demonstrations, amid warnings of potential escalation of violent disorder.
Far-right unrest has spread to London, Hartlepool and Manchester, after three girls were murdered, and two adults and eight children seriously injured at a Taylor Swift-themed dance club.
Social media postings wrongly alleged the suspect was a Muslim asylum seeker, with a mosque targeted in Southport earlier in the week. A 17-year-old born in Cardiff, Axel Rudakubana, has now been charged with murder and attempted murder.
Police forces are said to have intelligence of 25 planned far-right gatherings, while the anti-racism group Hope Not Hate said it believed at least 35 far-right demos were planned across the UK in the coming days. About 25 Stand Up to Racism counter-demonstrations are also expected.
David Hanson, a Home Office minister, warned demonstrators: “We are watching you,” and cautioned them it was a criminal offence to organise a riot.
His warning came as:
Hundreds of extra officers and constables trained in handling riots were to be put on duty in England and Wales, with extra prosecutors also on standby, even in places where there were no planned demonstrations.
Zara Mohammed of the Muslim Council of Britain said there was “unprecedented aggression” against Muslims and that mosques were receiving threatening messages, with a “strong surge of anti-migrant and Islamophobic feeling coming together”.
The Reform UK party leader, Nigel Farage, faced further criticism for stoking unrest by challenging Keir Starmer’s claim the far right were to blame for violent disorder. Farage said the violence was “a reaction to fear, to discomfort, to unease that is out there shared by tens of millions of people”.
A group of more than a dozen imams coordinated by the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board (Minab) joined forces with Christian and Jewish faith leaders in a show of solidarity outside the Southport mosque that was attacked earlier this week.
Qari Asim, Minab’s chair, said: “This is a time when we must stand firmly against opportunistic and shameful attempts to sow the seeds of division and hatred in our communities.”
The archbishop of Canterbury added to the calls for an end to violence, saying it was “completely unacceptable that Muslim and asylum-seeker communities are feeling so unsafe and I encourage people to reach out and support them”.
Protests by the far right this weekend are expected to range in size. One demonstration in Dover on Friday fizzled out with low attendance.
Gavin Stephens, the chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said: “Police will not stand by and let criminals carry out unnecessary violence in our communities.
“Our message to anyone thinking of getting involved in this type of criminality is clear: if you cause violence, you will face the full force of the law and we have the full backing of our criminal justice partners.”
Starmer held a meeting of police chiefs on Friday to increase coordination and call for rioters to be treated like football hooligans. The prime minister visited Southport for a second time, where he set out a package of measures to support the community including mental health and psychological services.
However, his words were challenged by Farage, who released a video criticising Starmer’s conclusion that it was “all the far right”.
“As if they’re causing all of the problems. No, the far right are a reaction to fear, to discomfort, to unease that is out there shared by tens of millions of people.”
He added that he did not support “street violence” or “thuggery in any way at all”.
Farage continued: “I am worried not just about the events in Southport but about societal decline that is happening in our country. Law and order, folks, on our streets is breaking down. This prime minister hasn’t got an earthly clue how to deal with it.”
Brendan Cox, the widower of the murdered MP Jo Cox, said Farage’s new video showed he had “gone full far-right apologist”.
However, the former home secretary Jack Straw warned against turning the Reform leader “into a hero or a martyr” among those who sympathise with him, and that the government should not “overreact”.
“He knows what he’s doing and his allegedly innocent questions that he’s raising are skilful efforts to stir up trouble.
“I think Farage has just got to be managed, and after a while I think … people who voted Reform … will very quickly be disabused about the nature of this man.”
Margaret Hodge, the former Labour minister who helped drive the British National party out of Barking, also warned against focusing on Farage, and said tackle the underlying issues around migration would be key.
She said: “Telling a positive story about migration, controlling the borders, and listening to what people are really saying when they say they ‘hate the immigrants’ – it is crucial the government do that because if not, then we will end with a more racist, populist politics in the UK … If you just call Farage a racist, where do you get by doing that?”
Peter Hain, a former Labour cabinet minister and anti-apartheid activist, said he thought Starmer’s response had been “spot on” and that it was a “significant advance” to have police chiefs involved in calling out the far right.
But he also said he thought Farage’s rhetoric “needs calling out”, adding: “A Tory response, which didn’t work for them in the election, was to ignore Reform, but I don’t think you can ignore them.
“This is a battle for public opinion and there’s quite a head of steam behind Farage’s populism and his anti-immigrant rhetoric. I don’t think you can keep your head low on it.”
Umesh Sharma, the chair of the Hindu Council UK, said: “Whether it is mosques, mandirs or gurdwaras or churches – they should be left alone. Whatever anger, whatever frustration they have, it should not be shown on these buildings. These are places where we pray for all.
“If you want to protest, there are avenues, you can go protest at Hyde Park, Trafalgar Square, outside of parliament.”