The Justice Minister has stated that those involved in disorder and rioting are all set to be jailed, more particularly for the far-right violence, which is extending itself into a seventh day, especially in England and Northern Ireland on Monday.
Fifty-one police officers were targeted and injured in Plymouth and Belfast, and over 150 since the stabbing in Southport last week, which ignited the riots.
Justice Minister Heidi Alexander said in BBC Radio 4’s Today program, ‘We are making sure that anybody who receives a custodial sentence for their part in the riots and disorder will have a prison place to go to.’
To deal with the unrest, the government has introduced 567 additional prison places, which are expected to become available by the end of the month, said Alexander. This comes against the backdrop of the government releasing thousands of prisoners who had served 40% of their jail term in England and Wales.
The Justice Minister stated that the new prison spaces will be developed in Stocken Prison in Rutland and Cookham Wood Young Offender Institution in Kent.
Alexander said ‘there certainly would be prison places for individuals engaging in this disgusting conduct on our streets and in our communities. ’ If these individuals are sentenced to custody, they would surely go to prison.
‘As disorder enters its seventh day on Monday, Labour councilor Jemima Laing, describing last night in the port city in Devon, said, ‘There was sustained violence, and several officers were injured, two members of the public were taken to the hospital.
Of course, this angered Laing, and watching a race hate march in the first place feeling sick enough to see Plymouth as a stop on this racist tour that seemed to be happening hey About 150 officers were stationed in the city center to accommodate two opposing groups – the anti immigrant’s masked protesters who hurled missiles at counter-demonstrators waving banners saying No to racism and Nazi’s.
“I am just so frustrated that many people from other parts of the country felt it was alright to converge in our city and create havoc,” Laing said to the Today program. ‘We are not like that,’ she said, pointing towards the hooligans and suggesting that last night’s events were carried out by strangers who are not city residents. A. M. said that it does not seem to be what Plymouth is about.
Police in Devon and Cornwall said six people were arrested in Plymouth after an attack on police officers with bricks and fireworks.
In Belfast, using the clips obtained from social media platforms, officers were seen to be attacked with missiles, notably at Donegall Road and Sandy Row. It was carried out in the same area where two businesses were assaulted on Saturday.
Durham police disclosed that an 18-year-old man was arrested in Darlington after bricks were thrown at the police during the violent crimes of disorder on Monday evening. Around 90 officers had to be dispatched to North Lodge Park after two big groups of men assembled less than half an hour past 9 p.m. Some small, unorganized clusters of men engaged in severe violence.
Over 25 people suspected of violent disorder in England and Northern Ireland were produced in magistrates’ courts on Monday with “swift justice” as per the government advocacy; charges included violent disorder, assault, arson, and recreation of violence by resisting police arrest, the ages of the accused persons were between 14 and 69 years.
The attacks, which occurred at the weekend and included arson attacks on Automated tube ticket machines, a fire being started in a library, shoplifting, and hotel invasions of the premises used by asylum seekers, were branded as terrorism by a former head of the UK’s counter-terrorism, Neil Basu.
RegardingAlexander said they are currently a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service about harder charges. Thus, there has been a variety of crimes committed, but Alexander did not classify the disorder as terrorism. It must be noted that serious offenses have undoubtedly been committed, offenses which will result in serious jail terms.
Regarding the duration of the disorder, Alexander admitted she did not have a “crystal ball.” Still, they will ensure that the government will do everything for that problem to be over and that no stone will be left unturned to stop that. ‘’We want to control this as quickly as possible because what has been witnessed cannot be the norm. ’’ ”There has been organized criminal destruction, racist violence, an earlier day extremism, and we won’t allow it here,”
