In England, anti-immigration protests and riots have been ongoing for five days, with hundreds of people gathered around a believed migrant hotel in Rotherham. The Holiday Inn Express experienced rioters throwing fire extinguishers and other objects at police lines, while others broke into the hotel, which had already partially caught fire.
The protest occurred at the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, a location that has seen previous protests against housing asylum seekers, many of whom are likely to be illegal boat migrants. The crowd was heard chanting “Get them out.
As unrest continues across the nation following the killing of three young British girls at a children’s dance party in Southport by an alleged Rwandan-heritage teenager, riots have erupted in working-class areas such as Bristol, Liverpool, and Manchester. Rotherham is also known for its grooming gang scandal, where Pakistani child rape gangs preyed on at least 1,400 young girls while local Labour council officials ignored the situation for fear of being seen as racist.
The nationwide anti-immigration riots pose a significant crisis for recently elected Labour Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer, who has faced criticism for not taking control of the situation. Lord Walney, the government’s independent adviser on political violence, has suggested that coronavirus-style lockdown measures could be implemented to quell the riots.
Former Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf proposed deploying the army to put down the anti-immigration protesters, while growing calls for Starmer to recall Parliament from its summer recess include suggestions from top Tories like Priti Patel and Sir Iain Duncan Smith.