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[Global Times UK correspondent Ji Shuangcheng and Wang Yi] "Riots sweep across the UK", the front page of the UK's Sunday Times on the 4th used such a banner headline to depict the current tense situation in various parts of the UK. Over the past week, three girls in Southport, Merseyside, were killed by gangsters with knives, leading to frequent riots in many parts of the country, and they are still continuing to spread. From Bristol, Stoke to Liverpool, Manchester, and Belfast, protesters and police clashed violently. A police station building in Sunderland in northern England was set on fire. Even near the British Prime Minister's residence in central London, Molotov cocktails were thrown. Police forces in many places "are on the verge of collapse." Residents of Muslim and immigrant communities across the UK who were targeted by these riots are worried. British Prime Minister Starmer held an emergency cabinet meeting on the 3rd to discuss the riots. Starmer accused "thugs" of using the country's grief to "spread hatred" and said that "anyone who commits violence will be fully sanctioned by law." The Sunday Telegraph said that courts in many places will be on "24-hour standby" to speed up the sentencing of those who committed riots. The report said that this was the most serious riots Britain has experienced in more than a decade and the first major crisis encountered by the newly elected Starmer government.

Molotov cocktail thrown at Downing Street

According to a BBC report on the 4th, the riots caused by the demonstrations instigated by the extreme right-wing elements lasted for a week, and the situation became more tense over the weekend. On the 3rd and 4th, protests broke out in more than 30 cities and towns in the UK. The demonstrations in many places turned into riots. In some places, thugs threw Molotov cocktails, looted stores, and even attacked and burned police stations.

On the 3rd, in Belfast, UK, police cars were thrown with petrol bottles and other burning objects by demonstrators. (Visual China)

"Britain is in the midst of a summer of discontent," the British Daily Mail said on the 4th. The riots were particularly severe in Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Stoke and Hull, as well as Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. In Liverpool, a group of thugs rushed into supermarkets and mobile phone stores in the city center, and some people shouted "Take the phone! Take the phone!" The thugs cleared the shelves. In Manchester, a supermarket in the city center was forced to close after being "attacked" by thugs. In Belfast, shops were wantonly smashed and looted and then set on fire by thugs. Many innocent citizens, especially ethnic minorities, were attacked by thugs. In Hull, an Asian man was attacked by thugs when he drove past the riot site. The thugs shouted and smashed his car windows and beat him. In Manchester, a black man was besieged by a group of thugs.

Faced with violent riots, the British police are under tremendous pressure. The Daily Mail said that police forces in many places "are on the verge of collapse." In Sunderland, northern England, local police are facing "serious and ongoing violence." During the riots on the 2nd, the local police station building was looted and set on fire, and several police officers were injured and hospitalized. Mark Hall, director of the Sunderland Police Force, said angrily: "This is not a protest. This is unforgivable violence and riots." Even near 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the British Prime Minister, violent riots broke out a few days ago. On the evening of July 31, thousands of protesters held a demonstration near Downing Street, chanting slogans such as "We want to take back our country" and "Ban immigrant ships." Some people pushed down the fences set up by the police, and threw Molotov cocktails and fireworks at the Prime Minister's residence and the statue of Churchill, and clashed violently with the police on the scene. More than 100 protesters were arrested.

Agence France-Presse said that due to online rumors that the knife attacker who killed three girls in Southport was a Muslim, the instigators targeted Muslim communities in many parts of the UK. Zara Mohammed, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said: "The Muslim community is now deeply anxious." Many Muslim communities have received "threatening calls." The head of a security company said that he had received inquiries from more than 100 mosques "seeking help" in the past two days, and "many mosques expressed their vulnerability and fear to us."

British government prepares to severely punish rioters

In response to the nationwide riots, British Prime Minister Starmer convened an emergency cabinet meeting on the 3rd. The Prime Minister's Office subsequently issued a statement saying that it would "fully support the police in taking all necessary actions to ensure street safety." The statement attributed the violence to "hatred incited by the far right" and vowed to end the riots. Home Secretary Cooper said: "The bottom line is that we cannot tolerate this kind of violence or criminal riots on the streets."

The BBC said that the British government has approved the police to establish a nationwide police task force to deal with violent riots. Police in various places are required to share intelligence and use AI and facial recognition technology to identify rioters in order to deter violence. In addition, the judicial department has sent 70 prosecutors on standby, ready to bring charges against those arrested for violent riots. The Sunday Telegraph said that courts in various places will be "on standby 24 hours a day" to speed up the sentencing of those who commit riots. Many places also plan to vacate some prisons and transfer prisoners so that there are more cells in dangerous areas to hold arrested rioters.

The British Sunday Express also revealed on the 4th that the Ministry of Defense Intelligence Group, the most mysterious military intelligence agency in the UK, has begun to assist in tracking down the extreme right-wing elements involved in the recent violent riots. In addition, some "secret agents" have also been recalled, and they will "infiltrate the extreme right-wing organizations believed to be behind the riots" to help the security department. British Home Secretary Cooper also said that if the situation gets out of control and the police are short of manpower, they will ask for soldiers to assist the police in maintaining order.

Deep risks exposed in the UK

The Daily Telegraph said on the 4th that violent riots are unacceptable no matter what the excuse is. However, amid the unrest across the country, Starmer needs to consider deeper issues. The increase in the number of immigrants and the failure of immigration control, inconsistent law enforcement measures, and differences on "diversity and inclusion" have made more and more British people feel uneasy. Illegal violence must be resolutely stopped and dealt with, but there are also some fundamental problems that need to be solved.

Qatar's Al Jazeera said that one of the issues that was previously ignored in the British parliamentary elections was the rise of the far-right forces. The far-right forces represented by the leader of the Reform Party, Nigel Farage, have been making every effort to incite that "Britain is being stolen by foreign immigrants." Not long ago, Nigel Farage posted on the social media X that in the three major cities of London, Manchester and Birmingham, the "white" population no longer accounts for the majority. The report said that in fact, this statement is completely a rumor.

Pakistan's The Nation newspaper said on the 4th that Britain, which prides itself on being a model of Western civilizational values, is now in such chaos, and such scenes have previously appeared in fragile developing countries. The report said that recently, anti-immigration and anti-Islam undercurrents in the UK have surfaced. Parts of the country have become battlefields of violence, which has frightened the Muslim community. Britain has experienced a disastrous Brexit and is now facing a cost of living crisis. If far-right xenophobia is allowed to take root, British society will face the risk of division and fierce infighting.