UK riots, aged just 14, charged as government promises ‘swift justice’

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Rioters aged just 14 went on trial in the UK on Monday, with the government promising that those involved in the latest violent riots will be “swiftly punished”.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called for those responsible to be named and held accountable as soon as possible, promising to “step up the criminal justice system” and adding that a “standing army” of specialist police officers was being created to stop the disorder.

The Cobra crisis response group, made up of senior ministers, police and prison leaders, met earlier in a bid to stem the violence that has spread to more than a dozen towns and cities in England and Northern Ireland and led to hundreds of arrests.

Authorities are bracing for more violence on Monday evening, with more protests expected later in the week.

On Monday, Lord Alex Carlile, a former independent reviewer of UK terrorism laws, said prosecutors should consider charging the riot leaders with terrorism offences.

“Basically, what they are doing is politically motivated — trying to undermine the country’s system,” Carlile told the Financial Times, adding that any organisations involved in organising violent demonstrations could be designated as terrorist groups by the state.

Police have not requested the military to be called in, while Downing Street says the police have the necessary powers and resources.

Number 10 is also opposing demands from opposition MPs to convene parliament due to the crisis.

Despite this, several countries – including the UAE, Nigeria and Indonesia – have issued warnings urging their citizens to avoid travelling to the UK or attending gatherings while in the country due to anti-immigration demonstrations and unrest.

Communities across northern England have begun the week struggling to cope with the fallout from the weekend of rioting, with the first people appearing in court to be charged in connection with the events.

Among them was a 14-year-old accused of setting off fireworks at a police van in Liverpool, who pleaded guilty. The first sentencing hearing is scheduled for later this month.

The suspects also appeared before magistrates in Sheffield, South Tyneside and Belfast. The ages of those appearing in court ranged from teenagers to pensioners, with a 69-year-old man in the dock.

There have been 378 arrests since violence erupted following a mass stabbing in Southport last week, with the number likely to rise.

Starmer highlighted the suspected participants who appeared in court on Monday, adding: “I have asked for the matter to be considered as soon as possible so that the names and identification of those involved in this process can be released as soon as possible and the full force of the law will be felt.”

Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, also told the BBC: “We expect justice to be done swiftly. We expect these cases to go to court this week.”

However, some suspects will not appear before a judge for weeks as the stretched legal system copes with the backlog. Avon and Somerset Police said those accused of taking part in the Bristol crime spree were likely to appear in court in September.

Meanwhile, Downing Street has warned that foreign state actors may be involved in spreading disinformation online, fuelling riots on the streets of the UK.

In some parts of the country, police stressed that people of different backgrounds took part in the riots.

Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Stephen Watson said it was “clear that at all events there were people from all political and cultural backgrounds who came with the intention of causing disorder and breaking the law”.

He added: “Justice will be swift.”The force responded to violent riots in both Manchester city centre and Bolton last weekend and reported 23 arrests.

After a Cobra meeting in London, Sir Mark Rowley, the country’s most senior police officer, apparently grabbed a reporter’s microphone and threw it on the ground when asked about the “two-tier policy” – a slogan accusing the force of treating some protests and activists more harshly than others.

Police officials later said the Met Commissioner was “in a hurry” when the incident occurred.

Britain’s Reform Party leader Nigel Farage said at the weekend that a “feeling of a two-tiered police force” had “become widespread” in the UK.

The government has also faced criticism from the left for its handling of the unrest.

Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader, and four other independent MPs who campaigned hard on a pro-Palestinian platform, accused ministers of “pandering to those who helped fuel the sickening racism behind these protests”, while criticising “racist terror”.

In a joint letter to Cooper published on Monday – the latest sign of cooperation between Corbyn, Ayoub Khan, Adnan Hussain, Iqbal Mohamed and Shockat Adam – the quintet welcomed the Home Secretary’s condemnation of “far-right thuggery” but said she had not gone “far enough” in identifying the hatred of migrants and Muslims that “fuels this violence”.

“When people are attacked because of the colour of their skin or their faith, the government’s references to ‘understandable concerns’ send out mixed messages and only help those who want to spread hatred and division,” the five MPs said.