UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will hold an emergency meeting on Monday after far-right riots broke out across England over the weekend.
The violence started after the tragic murder of three children last week.
Starmer will lead a Cobra meeting, bringing together government ministers and the police to find ways to stop the unrest.
The riots first began in Southport, located in northwest England, on Tuesday, and have led to hundreds of arrests.
The town of Southport was the scene of last Monday’s tragedy, where three young girls were killed, and five other children were critically injured in a knife attack during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.
The unrest has spread to other towns and cities across the country, with anti-immigration protesters clashing with police, and in some cases, facing opposition from Muslim counter-protesters.
On Sunday, Starmer warned those involved in the riots that they would “regret” their actions. His interior minister, Yvette Cooper, told the BBC on Monday that “there will be a reckoning.”
Police have blamed the violence on supporters of the English Defence League (EDL), an anti-Islam group known for its links to football hooliganism.
Some of the worst violence occurred on Sunday in Rotherham, northern England, where masked protesters smashed windows at a hotel housing asylum seekers.
Ten police officers were injured, including one who was knocked unconscious, according to South Yorkshire Police.
There were also large confrontations in Bolton, northwest England, and Middlesbrough, northeast England.
Rioters there damaged houses and cars, leading to 43 arrests.
In one incident, protesters seized and broke a camera belonging to an AFP news crew, although the journalists were not harmed.
Later on Sunday, Staffordshire Police reported that another hotel, known for housing asylum seekers near Birmingham, was targeted by a large group who threw objects, smashed windows, started fires, and attacked police. One officer was injured in the violence.
This wave of violence is a major challenge for Prime Minister Starmer, who was elected just a month ago after leading Labour to a big win over the Conservatives.
In a TV address on Sunday, Starmer promised to bring the rioters to justice, saying there was “no justification” for what he called “far-right thuggery.”
He warned those involved, whether directly or online, that they would regret their actions.
