UK PM Keir Starmer cancels vacation amid intense protests

Sky News confirmed that "Keir Starmer canceled his vacation due to the nationwide protests."

In response to the rising unrest during far-right protests, Starmer had called on law enforcement to remain on high alert this weekend.

Referencing the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), Sky News reported that since the start of the mass protests, 779 people have been detained across England, with 349 facing charges.

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood warned that the impact of the far-right protests across the country could be felt "for months and years to come."

How Did the Events Begin?

The unrest began in Southport on July 29, when a 17-year-old attacker carried out a knife assault, killing three children and injuring 10 people, eight of whom were children.

Speculative reports about the attacker’s identity spread on social media, leading far-right extremists in Southport to clash with police and launch a stone attack on the Southport Islamic Society Mosque. The extremists injured numerous officers and set a police van on fire. The violence resulted in injuries to 53 officers and three police dogs, with five people being detained.

The far-right violence then spread to Sunderland on August 2. A far-right crowd gathered outside the "Masjid-e Anwaar-e Madinah" Mosque and clashed with police. They set fire to a local police station and attempted to burn down several public buildings. In Sunderland, three officers were injured, and 10 far-right protesters were arrested.

On the same day, far-right groups also gathered in Hartlepool, Liverpool, Glasgow, and Dover, assembling in town squares and outside mosques.

By August 3, far-right protests had erupted in around 20 English cities, including Bristol, Hull, Blackpool, Stoke-on-Trent, and Blackburn, as well as four locations in Belfast, Northern Ireland. In these cities, far-right protesters attacked immigrant-owned businesses, mosques, police vehicles, and riot police, leading to the arrest of 92 individuals.

On August 4, far-right protesters gathered again in Weymouth, Middlesbrough, and Rotherham, targeting immigrants and the Muslim community. In Rotherham, far-right extremists assembled outside a hotel housing irregular migrants and asylum seekers, throwing stones and other objects at the building.

In these cities, far-right groups also clashed with counter-protesters and those trying to protect religious and commercial structures. Reports of two far-right protesters being stabbed in Hull and Stoke-on-Trent intensified the violence, though police later declared these reports false. In Blackpool and Manchester, police called for an end to the protests and banned further gatherings.