Police expect up to 30 more riots in England today, The Times reports, continuing a wave of violence, destruction and thuggery in more than 20 towns and cities, triggered by the killing of three girls a week ago in Southport. Social media posts suggest that far-right organisers are preparing to co-ordinate attacks on immigration centres. Last night, the prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said rioters would feel the full force of the law. Speaking after the emergency Cobra (Cabinet Office Briefing Room A) meeting, he said 100 people had now been charged and that the criminal justice system had shown a “robust and swift response” to the disorder. A man who urged rioters to “smash” a hotel in Leeds housing asylum seekers is the first person to be charged with stirring up racial hatred in Facebook posts during the riots. Jordan Parlour, 28, of Leeds, pleaded guilty and was remanded in custody for sentencing on Friday.
Riots have brought out the best and worst in communities says Muslim leader
The worst and the best of communities have emerged during the weekend of race riots across the UK, Zara Mohammed, secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain told a Religion Media Centre briefing yesterday. She described the events as “a really horrible time” and said the feeling of fear in the community was “palpable”. However, she had been immensely impressed and uplifted by the sight of people uniting in defence of each other, emerging from their homes armed with brooms and dustpans to clear the streets after the riots. “That’s been really heartening,” she said. “There are so many people that are with us who want to see a Britain that is diverse, inclusive and takes care of its neighbours.”
She condemned the right-wing agitators like Nigel Farage and Tommy Robinson “who continue to stoke up a lot of misinformation, fake news, Islamophobic, anti-immigrant-type rhetoric, to rile things up”.
Laura Marks, co-founder of Jewish-Muslim women network’s Nisa-Nashim, ended the conversation — which involved people from many faith communities across the UK, including Manchester, Nottingham, Liverpool, Bradford and Coventry — by calling on the women in society to rally together to help rebuild society. “The women are the people who know pretty much about what their sons are up to. They know what their husbands are up to, they know what their communities are up to. They are building, they are nurturing, they are feeding…I think that’s one big issue, and another one is around how we as the faith communities can support the rebuilding of society.”
You can view the briefing again or listen to the podcast via links here
Churches Together leaders call for community action to end disorder
The presidents of Churches Together in England, which represents 54 churches from diverse traditions, have called on communities to work together to end racism, division and disorder. They say: “In the wake of the terrible events in Southport, we acknowledge the anger felt by many at these senseless killings. We also acknowledge deep and troubling anxiety about immigration. Regrettably, we have witnessed violent, racist attacks and intimidation on our streets … We are also grateful to the many local churches across the country who provide a place of worship and sanctuary for people and who help build stronger communities through action at the grassroots level. Full statement here
Musk two-tier claim ‘false and divisive’
Sir Keir Starmer is refusing to become involved in comments made by the Twitter/X billionaire Elon Musk who called the prime minister “two-tier Keir” and asked: “Why aren’t all communities protected in Britain?”, suggesting that white, far-right protesters were treated more harshly by police than other groups. The Community Security Trust, a charity that aims to protect Jewish communities in Britain, said Musk “should know better” than to use his profile and platform to promote “false and divisive claims”. Jewish News report here
Rioting is not British, says Welby — and rioters are defiling the English flag
Rioting is not the British way of protest, says the Archbishop of Canterbury. Justin Welby told Radio 4’s Today programme that the scenes across the UK over the weekend had saddened him and the rioters had defiled the Union Jack flags they wrapped around themselves. “Protest is good and is right and is fundamental to all our freedoms, but peaceful protest will have tens of thousands of times the impact that this violence is having,” he said. The UK was in need of a peaceful and united moral vision, which did exist, he said, adding: “We are incredibly diverse, but we stick to one another and we are capable of leading the world and sharing the common good in this country.” Church Times report here
We must all combat hate, urges Anglican priest after Muslim graves vandalised
An Anglican vicar has called on people “of all faiths — and none” to pull together to combat hate after gravestones in the Muslim section of a Lancashire cemetery were defaced. Father Alex Frost of St Matthew’s Church, Burnley, said all people had “a responsibility to stand up and speak out and be a voice for good.” Volunteers turned out in force yesterday to clean the graves which were daubed with grey paint during a weekend of race riots. Police are treating the vandalism as hate crime. Reports here
IN OTHER NEWS
More funerals are becoming ‘celebrations of life’
Funerals in the UK are increasingly becoming non-religious ceremonies, says a study by the Co-op. Themed “celebrations of life”, held in a wide variety of places — including a betting shop, a castle and on a London bus — were reported as popular farewells to friends or family. The statistics comes from a study of 500,000 funerals over five years carried out by Co-op Funeralcare. Fifty-seven per cent of undertakers reported an increase in requests for services to be held outside traditional religious settings, with three-quarters being asked if the dead person’s pet could attend and 89 per cent saying that families requested mourners wore a specific colour. Almost a fifth of funeral staff reported seeing people take selfies at the ceremony. Guardian report here
Governor in Ten Commandments row tells pupils: don’t look at them
Parents protesting against a new law to have the Ten Commandments displayed in all public classrooms in a US southern state have been told to tell their children “not to look at them”. Jeff Landry, the Republican governor of Louisiana, made the statement during a news conference on Monday to defend the rules set two months ago, when the state became the first in the US to order the commandments’ display. The new rules, which come in from 1 January, have been challenged by several Louisiana families, backed by civil rights groups. They say the law is against the constitutional right not to have religion imposed on individuals or groups. Guardian report here
