Riots erupt in UK after stabbing spree falsely blamed on asylum seeker

Riots have broken out across the U.K. in recent days over false rumors spread online that an asylum seeker was responsible for a mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event that left three girls dead and others wounded. 

The suspect has been identified as 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana, who was born in Wales to Rwandan parents.

Suspects under 18 are typically not named in the U.K., but the judge in the case ordered the suspect to be identified to stop the spread of misinformation. The teen has been charged with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder.

In the days since the stabbing spree, rioters have torched a library, attacked a mosque and thrown flares at a statue of wartime leader Winston Churchill as agitators tap into broader concerns about the scale of immigration in the U.K.

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Hundreds of people have been arrested in connection with the disorder and many more are likely as police scour CCTV, social media and body-worn camera footage. However, police have also warned that with widespread security measures in place, with thousands of officers deployed, other crimes may not be investigated fully.

On Sunday, the violence was particularly acute in the north of England town of Rotherham where police struggled to hold back hundreds of rioters who sought to break into a Holiday Inn Express hotel being used as accommodation for asylum seekers. 

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed Sunday afternoon that the authorities will “do whatever it takes to bring these thugs to justice.”

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“I guarantee you will regret taking part in this disorder, whether directly or those whipping up this action online and then running away themselves,” he said. “This is not a protest. It is organized, violent thuggery, and it has no place on our streets or online.”

Starmer deemed anyone targeting people for the color of their skin or their faith to be “far-right.”

“People in this country have a right to be safe, and yet we’ve seen Muslim communities targeted, attacks on mosques, other minority communities singled out, Nazi salutes in the street, attacks on the police, wanton violence alongside racist rhetoric, so no, I won’t shy away from calling it what it is: far-right thuggery,” he said.

A chair is thrown at police officers during an anti-immigration protest outside the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham, England, on Aug. 4, 2024. (Danny Lawson/PA via AP)

Before bringing the riot under some sort of control, police officers with shields faced a barrage of missiles, including bits of wood, chairs and fire extinguishers. A large bin close to a window of the hotel was also set alight. The small fire was extinguished.

South Yorkshire police, which is responsible for Rotherham, said at least 10 officers have been injured, including one who was left unconscious.

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“The behavior we witnessed has been nothing short of disgusting. While it was a smaller number of those in attendance who chose to commit violence and destruction, those who simply stood on and watched remain absolutely complicit in this,” said Assistant Chief Constable Lindsey Butterfield. “We have officers working hard, reviewing the considerable online imagery and footage of those involved, and they should expect us to be at their doors very soon.”

Police officers confront protesters during an anti-immigration protest outside the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham, England, on Aug. 4, 2024. (Danny Lawson/PA via AP)

Tensions were also running high Sunday in the northeastern town of Middlesbrough, where some protesters broke free of a police guard. One group walked through a residential area, smashing the windows of houses and cars.

Hundreds of others clashed with police at the town’s cenotaph, throwing bricks, cans and pots at officers.

Many of the demonstrations over the past week were organized online by groups that mobilized support with phrases like “enough is enough,” “save our kids” and “stop the boats.”

Rallying cries have come from a diffuse group of social media accounts, but a key player in amplifying them is Tommy Robinson, leader of the English Defense League (EDL). The Merseyside police has linked the EDL to the violent protest in Southport on Tuesday, near the scene of the stabbing attack.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.