Several countries have issued safety warnings to their citizens in the UK due to the riots.
Nigeria, Malaysia and Indonesia have sent out alerts telling people living or visiting the UK to stay away from demonstrations.
The majority of people in all three countries are Muslim. Many of the British riots have included racist and anti-Islamic sentiment, with mosques targeted.
Nigeria’s foreign ministry issued a “travel alert” saying there was “an increased risk of violence and disorder occasioned by the recent riots in the UK” and that “the violence has assumed dangerous proportions”.
“Demonstrations by far right and other extra-parliamentary groups in parts of the UK in recent weeks have been large, and in some instances unruly.”
Malaysians were “urged to stay away from protest areas” and “remain vigilant”. They were “strongly encouraged” people to register with the High Commission of Malaysia in London to “receive timely information and assistance”.
The Indonesian embassy in London advised its citizens in the UK to avoid large crowds and increase their vigilance.
‘Standing army’ of special officers will tackle riots, Starmer announces after emergency COBRA meeting
Sir Keir Starmer says police will have access to a “standing army of specialist officers” to deal with the riots, after a COBRA meeting.
The standing army consists of officers “ready to be deployed to support communities”, he says.
Criminal justice will be “ramped up”, he adds, with the PM requesting the earliest identification of those involved.
He says he has also been assured that criminality online is being tackled as seriously as offline.
“We will have a standing army of specialist officers, public duty officers, so that we will have enough to deal with this.”
Sir Keir says: “This is not protest – it is pure violence and we will not tolerate attacks on mosques or our Muslim communities.”
Asked about calls to recall parliament, Sir Keir says his focus is on making sure “our streets are safe”.
Responding to accusations from Reform UK of so-called “two-tier policing”, Sir Keir says: “There is no two-tier policing. There is policing without fear or favour, exactly as it should be. Exactly as I would expect an require. So that is a non-issue.”
The violence was triggered by the stabbing of three young girls in Southport, northwest England, earlier in the week. The far right has seized on and spread a wave of disinformation, including false claims the attacker was an immigrant, to mobilize anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant protests. Police say the suspect was born in Britain.