By: Yi Chen
An emergency meeting is planned by Downing Street for July 30, 2024 after around 150 people were arrested during demonstrations held across the U.K. These demonstrations became violent in Yorkshire, , Bolton, Liverpool, Bristol, Manchester, and Belfast, where the people protesting clashed with the police.
Organized by far-right groups, demonstrations have been held in many towns and cities during the last five days. Some of the protests became violent when people started attacking police officers, throwing things like bottles, and damaging nearby shops. Other smaller demonstrations elsewhere didn’t face any of these problems. Many protests were made by people around the country over the last week, following an incident in Southport. According to Newsround, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to give police forces the government’s “full support”.
Far-right groups have acute views about immigration and national identity. However, not everyone attending the protests was from far-right groups. Some protesters were encouraged by misleading information online that claims the event in Southport was linked to illegal immigration. According to Newsround, in some of the cities, like Manchester, anti-racism demonstrators also gathered.
According to Newsround, at a meeting for the government ministers on Saturday, a representative for Sir Keir Starmer said the Prime Minister told the assembled people that “the right to freedom of expression and the violent disorder we have seen are two very different things.”