PM Keir Starmer says UK ‘on high alert’ amid fears of further far-right riots: ’I’m absolutely convinced…’

UK riots: After two consecutive days of lull in the violence-ridden country, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said that the country and the government remains on ‘high alert’ as they progress into the weekend. The statement comes amid increasing fears of further far-right riots in English towns and cities.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that recent actions by the criminal justice system, including judges swiftly imposing lengthy prison sentences on some rioters, have successfully deterred further violence. His comments followed two nights of relative calm across England.

This quiet period came after a week of near nightly unrest in various towns and cities, sparked by a deadly knife attack that resulted in the deaths of three children.

Disturbances have continued unabated in Northern Ireland, however, where police have blamed pro-UK loyalist paramilitaries for fuelling nightly violence in Belfast.

According to Reuters the heavy police deployment in UK, deterred thousands of anti-racism protesters from taking the streets. Therefore threats of widespread gatherings by far-right anti-immigration groups did not materialise.

"I'm absolutely convinced that having the police officers in place these last few days, and the swift justice that has been dispensed in our courts have had a real impact," Starmer told UK broadcasters about the situation in England.

"But we have to stay on high alert going into this weekend because we absolutely have to make sure that our communities are safe and secure and feel safe and secure."

Speaking during a visit to the headquarters of London's Metropolitan Police, he said potential unrest caused by the start of the football season would be "added into the mix" of challenges facing police this weekend.

Some far-right rioters and agitators are believed to have links to England's decades-old football hooligan scene, which has diminished since its heyday in the 1980s but can still see violence on match days.

Police in England said that forces nationwide had now arrested nearly 500 people for alleged participation in the unrest that began on July 30, while around a dozen people were jailed on Thursday for involvement.

The disturbances, first sparked by a July 29 knife attack that killed three children, have seen mosques and migrant-related facilities attacked alongside police and other targets.

Officials have blamed misinformation spread on social media about the suspected perpetrator for fuelling the disorder.

Several thousand people from anti-racism groups gathered in Walthamstow, north London, on Wednesday following threats to an immigration advice centre there. Others protected mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers that were among other targets.