Tommy Robinson stokes far-right riots on social media from outside UK

Nadine White
Updated Sun, 4 August 2024

Tommy Robinson has been accused of stoking far-right riots following the Southport knife attack from afar after he left the UK last week.

The High Court was told on Monday that anti-Islam activist, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, had left the country after being released on unconditional bail following his arrest in Kent the previous weekend.

A fresh warrant was issued for the English Defence League (EDL) founder’s arrest after he did not attend a scheduled hearing in a contempt of court case.

But in the days since, Robinson has been regularly posting about the ongoing wave of disorder on social media.

The 41-year-old has been publishing running commentary and videos documenting the riots, describing the disorder as a result of “legitimate concerns” and calling for “mass deportations”.

Campaigners have accused Robinson of playing an important role in inciting violence directed at ethnic minority groups.

A man looks through a window as rioters attack a hotel housing migrants in Rotherham (Getty Images)

“There is no doubt that Tommy Robinson’s social media is playing a really important role in these far-right demos,” a spokesperson for Hope Not Hate told The Independent.

“Tommy Robinson’s reach has grown since his X account was reinstated last year. His last two demos in London have attracted tens of thousands of people and his X following is now over 800,000 people, meaning he once again has an enormous reach online.

“After Monday’s horrific attack, Tommy Robinson was regularly tweeting calling Islam a mental health issue, sharing videos of disorder and encouraging to join future demonstrations. One said: ’get there and show your support. People need to rise up.’

“We know that he was influential in Tuesday’s disturbance in Southport, rioters were chanting Tommy Robinson’s name and “Who the f*** is Allah?” - these are chants regularly heard at far-right demonstrations.”

Rioting has taken place around the UK in the wake of the killing of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club in Southport, Merseyside, on Monday.

Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, 17, from Lancashire, is accused carrying out the attack, but false claims spread online that the suspect was an asylum seeker of Muslim faith who had arrived in the UK by small boat in 2023.

Robinson has been linked to widespread rioting around the UK in the wake of the killing of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club in Southport, Merseyside, on Monday. (Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)

Several of the demonstrations have targeted mosques and other Muslim religious buildings.

Sabby Dhalu, co-convenor of Stand up to Racism told The Independent: “What we’re seeing in Liverpool, Hull, Sunderland, Hartlepool, Southport and elsewhere, is not just violent disorder and thuggery. They are racist, Islamophobic, fascist riots, with targeted attacks on Mosques, asylum seekers and anyone not white.

“Tommy Robinson is deliberately stoking up racism and Islamophobia, whilst on the run. It’s no accident that the riots took place days after Robinson mobilised 15,000 in Trafalgar Square last week. Fascists are emboldened.

“However this did not emerge from a vacuum. It’s a product of politicians stirring up Islamophobia and racism, whilst making people worse off. The only way to defeat this movement is to unite, mobilise against fascism and stand up to racism, Islamophobia and antisemitism.”

The Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) claimed Robinson was “fanning the flames of violence” in the UK from afar.

“For over 23 years, MAB and other civil society organisations have warned about the growing far-right threat and the and the dangers of making Islam and Muslims appear as the main threat to British security; sadly, our warnings have proven correct,” a spokesperson told The Independent.

“Political and socio-economic failures have given prominence to individuals like Tommy Robinson, a criminal who has fled the country, and is fanning the flames of violence and terror.

“The warning signs during the Brexit campaign in 2016 were ignored, allowing the far-right to grow in influence.

People riot outside Leeds Town Hall (Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)

“The government’s pandering to the far-right by labelling their actions as ‘legitimate concerns’ rather than addressing the real danger of far-right extremism has worsened the situation. The current wave of riots has seen mosques targeted, Muslims and other minorities attacked on the streets, and businesses looted and burned to the ground.”

Robinson’s exact whereabouts are unclear. However, photos emerged on Sunday purporting to show him at a hotel in Cyprus.

The same day, a reporter for Robinson’s online platform was forced to leave the scene of violent disorder in Rotherham outside a hotel housing asylum seekers after a mob clashed with police and started fires.

“It’s not very safe there, tensions are still high”, Robinson wrote on X: “The organisers of the demonstration are extremely disappointed as they wanted a peaceful protest today.”

UK

Tory shadow minister says sorry after appearing to justify riots

Charlie Moloney
Sun, 4 August 2024 

THE GUARDIAN


Police rescued a couple from a house next to a burning car on Parliament Road, Middlesborough, during violent far-right protests.Photograph: Gary Calton/The Observer


The Conservative shadow Welsh secretary has apologised after he was accused of “inflaming” the riots by suggesting they were politically justified.

Lord (Byron) Davies had became embroiled in the controversy while exchanging comments with a Mail on Sunday columnist on X.

The columnist, Dan Hodges, had posted: “There’s no political justification for the disorder we have seen. But if people want to get into the blame game these are the facts. The Tories were in power for 14 years. Labour have been in power for four weeks. Blaming Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper for this is just ridiculous.”


Davies, the former MP for Gower, responded: “But Labour blocked the Rwanda Bill 130+ times of course it’s politically justified!”

Jo Stevens, Labour’s Welsh secretary, was among many who condemned the peer for his remarks.

“The shadow Welsh secretary’s comments are disgusting, misguided and dangerous. Racist violence is never justified,” she said. “Politicians, including unelected ones, have an important responsibility to de-escalate tensions. Those inflaming them should seriously consider their position.”

Davies, who is now shadowing Stevens after the Tories lost every seat in Wales at the last election, posted on X: “I apologise if earlier words have been misconstrued, particularly at such a sensitive time. To be crystal clear, I utterly condemn the violence in our cities. What I am criticising is Labour’s totally negative approach to immigration & organised crime. I stand by that.”

Anti-immigration rioters were seen attacking police and smashing the windows of a hotel in Rotherham on Sunday as the atmosphere turned increasingly febrile on the sixth day of unrest in England.

Masked men launched lengths of wood and sprayed fire extinguishers at officers outside a Holiday Inn Express, with some storming past a police line and into the ground floor, which was set on fire during the disorder.

At least 10 officers were injured, including one who was knocked unconscious, South Yorkshire police confirmed later, saying one person was already arrested and others involved should “expect us to be at their doors very soon”.

A group of rioters in Middlesbrough smashed the windows of houses and cars and hurled objects at officers on Sunday afternoon, with one seen shouting a racial slur and another telling police: “It’s our country.”

Similar scenes of unrest in Southport, Belfast, Hartlepool, Hull, Liverpool, Stoke-on-Trent, Nottingham, Sunderland and elsewhere had taken place earlier in the week.

Cleveland police has said nine arrests have been made.


Sunak issues warning to shadow cabinet minister accused of “inflaming” riots

David Maddox
Sun, 4 August 2024 

A senior member of Rishi Sunak’s shadow ministerial team has been branded “disgusting” after appearing to suggest that the far right riots sweeping the UK are the fault of Labour opposing the Rwanda deportation scheme.

Shadow Welsh secretary Lord Byron Davies got caught up in an exchange on X/Twitter with Mail on Sunday columnist Dan Hodges over whether there could be any political justification for the riots.

After appearing to suggest that the fault lay at the feet of Sir Keir Starmer and Labour for opposing the Rwanda scheme, Rishi Sunak has ordered that he is spoken to by the chief whip in the Lords after initially declining to take action..

Labour’s new Welsh secretary Jo Stevens condemned the peer who is currently shadowing her after the Tories lost every seat in Wales at the last election.

A fire is extinguished by police officers outside the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham (PA Wire)

She posted: “The shadow Welsh secretary's comments are disgusting, misguided and dangerous. Racist violence is never justified.

“Politicians, including unelected ones, have an important responsibility to de-escalate tensions. Those inflaming them should seriously consider their position.”

The row has come on a day when Rotherham became the latest English town to be scarred by far-right violence with a hotel set on fire with asylum seekers inside it.

Violent scenes have hit Southport, Liverpool, Belfast, Hull and Halifax since misinformation about the murder of three girls in Southport triggered the first wave of civil unrest in the Merseyside seaside resort.

The exchange started with Mr Hodges stating: “There’s no political justification for the disorder we have seen. But if people want to get into the blame game these are the facts. The Tories were in power for 14 years. Labour have been in power for four weeks. Blaming Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper for this is just ridiculous.”

Lord Davies, the former MP for Gower, responded: “But Labour blocked the Rwanda Bill 130+ times of course it’s politically justified!”

Former prime minister Rishi Sunak hs taken no action against Davies (PA)

A surprised Mr Hodges questioned whether it was a genuine account but Lord Davies confirmed it was.

He said: “I am for real @DPJHodges and stand by my comment, that Labour’s lack of support in parliament to find a solution to the boat issue, cannot be politically justified.”

Mr Hodges retorted: “That’s not what you said. My tweet, and your reply, are clear.”

But an unrepentant Lord Davies replied: “You can put whatever interpretation you like to entertain your followers but the fact remains, Labour were unhelpful in passing legislation to combat the issue of the boats and for that, there cannot be any political justification. That’s what I said and that’s what I mean.”

A Conservatve Party spokesman made it clear that Lord Davies had been given a warning about his conduct.

He said: “These comments are unacceptable. Lord Davies is being spoken to by the Lords opposition chief whip and reminded of the consequences of the misuse of language at such a sensitive time and the standards expected of him as a member of the shadow cabinet.”

Lord Davies is not the only senior tory to face questions over statements on the riots with Hampshire police and crime commissioner Donna Jones also criticised for a statement she issued, deleted and then reissued which some critics saw as giving justification to the angry scenes

Tory police commissioner blames illegal immigration for riots

Albert Tait
Sun, 4 August 2024 

Protests and riots over the last week are a 'rebellion to illegal immigration', Donna Jones said - JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images


A Tory policing chief has suggested that “mass uncontrolled immigration” is one of the reasons behind rioting which has spread across the UK.

In a statement Donna Jones, the police and crime commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, compared the riots over the last week to a “rebellion to illegal immigration”.

The Conservative politician said that while not justifying any violence she had spoken to people from “both sides of the spectrum” and claimed there was value in “understanding the views of those attending rallies who feel strongly but don’t cause disorder”.

On Saturday, there were violent confrontations in Hull, Leeds, Liverpool, Bristol, Manchester, Stoke-on-Trent, Blackpool and Belfast and more than 90 arrests were made.

Police officers were attacked and forced to draw their batons as they came under fire from bricks, bottles and flares.

The riots have been sparked by the fatal stabbing of three young girls in Southport on Monday.

Donna Jones says she has 'spoken to people on both sides of the spectrum' - OPCC Hants & IOW/Solent News & Photo Agency

On Saturday evening, as violence surged across the country, Ms Jones, who claims to be the UK’s most senior police commissioner, released a statement which appeared to justify some of the activities.

On Sunday, rioting continued in Middlesbrough, Bolton and Rotherham where rioters attacked a hotel housing migrants.

“I’ve spoken to people from both sides of the spectrum and the only way to stem the tide of violent disorder is to acknowledge what is causing it,” Ms Jones said.

“Whilst the devastating attacks in Southport on Tuesday were a catalyst, the commonality amongst the protest groups appears to be focused on three key areas: the desire to protect Britain’s sovereignty; the need to uphold British values, and, in order to do this, stop illegal immigration.”

She said arresting people was “treating the symptom and not the cause” and that the Prime Minister had questions to answer about how the new Labour Government would tackle immigration and uphold British values.


Nazir Afzal, the Former chief prosecutor, called her comments “totally unacceptable” and said she was “appearing to justify rioting and criminality that police officers are bravely having to deal with right now”.

Charlotte Nichols, the Labour MP for Warrington North, told The Telegraph: “First and foremost, it demeans the office that she holds.

“We can accept that there is anger in parts of the community about immigration but that doesn’t mean we legitimise thuggery.

“Considering the number of police officers who have been injured, I believe her position is untenable. She should resign, and if not, she should be sacked.”

Ms Jones is also the chairman of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners in the UK.


Following the criticism, she released another statement, praising the police and condemning “those acting outside the law”, but refusing to back down from her position.

“I stand by my statement issued [Saturday] where I called for calm, and for the country to work together to stop this mindless, criminal behaviour”, she wrote on the official website of the commissioner on Sunday.

“I fully support the police’s response to stem the growth of these riots and those acting outside of the law should expect to feel the full force of it.

“The violence we have seen has endangered our communities and infected lawful protest on a much broader issue.

“As a country this issue is something we should seek to understand without letting it divide us.

“I am confident there will be a time and place for that discussion in due course,” she added.

UK WHITE RIOT 

‘That’s my car, you fascist thugs’: far-right rampage engulfs Middlesbrough

Mark Brown North of England correspondent

THE GUARDIAN

Sun, 4 August 2024 

Rioters torched cars and smashed the front windows of terraced homes as a protest in Middlesbrough turned violent.Photograph: Gary Calton/The Observer


Incredibly, it began with a two-minute silence for the victims of the Southport knife attack.

What followed was angry, often racist and mindless violence during which front windows of homes were smashed in, cars torched, residents terrified and police repeatedly attacked with missiles.

Related: Rioters try to torch Rotherham asylum seeker hotel amid far-right violence


Middlesbrough resembled a battle zone on Sunday afternoon, the latest place to be chosen as a venue for far-right led violence.

About 300 people gathered at Middlesbrough’s cenotaph at the gates to Albert Park at 2pm. They had been encouraged to turn up by posts on social media. A striking number were men and women in their 50s and 60s.

“We’re fucking angry,” said one woman in her 60s. “I know we’re only plebs from a poor town.”

Another shouted: “This is our way of life that’s at stake.”

One elderly couple took time to go to admire the Brian Clough statue in the park before returning to find somewhere to sit.

But shortly before the crowd set off, a large group of younger masked men walked up to the cenotaph. Things began to feel more sinister and scary.

A man in a blue T-shirt, an organiser, couldn’t get his megaphone to work so yelled instead that it was a protest not about race or religion but about the children who were killed.

By the end, they seemed like hollow words.

The gathered people walked down Linthorpe Road into the city centre. Almost every business along the road had closed early and put the shutters down. A Wetherspoons stayed open but wasn’t letting anyone in.

Police stopped marchers from going down terraced streets off the main road which led to angry confrontations; furious, red-faced men bellowing at officers that their civil rights were being ignored.

Two of the streets had mosques on or near them, a reason marchers wanted to go down them. The police kept shouting “keep moving, keep moving” as the march made its way into the town centre.

It was starting to get ugly. There were racist chants. Windows were smashed, including one which, with grim irony, had a sign on it: “Middlesbrough – moving forward.”

A young girl, probably 12, was on the march with her mother and siblings. She was red-faced and tearful. “I don’t like it mam, I want to go home.”

The marchers headed back towards the cenotaph, this time snaking through terraced streets to the west of Linthorpe Road. Several homes of working-class people had their front windows smashed for no discernible reason.

At least two parked taxis had all their windows broken. Other parked cars were chosen randomly to have their windscreen smashed. One car owner bravely and furiously confronted them: “That’s my car,” she shouted. “You fascist thugs!”

Children used bricks and stones to smash windows of a new development of affordable homes.

The main body of the march made its way back to the cenotaph where there was a standoff with riot police with shields. People threw bricks, bottles and metal bars. At one point burning wheelie bins were pushed towards them.

It was proving impossible to keep everyone in one place. As police dealt with rioters at the cenotaph a large group of dozens of masked children cycled and ran away from a car they had overturned and set on fire in Borough Road. Another car was later torched on Parliament Road.

The police and crime commissioner for Northumbria, Susan Dungworth, has expressed fears that police will be exhausted if they have to keep on dealing with such protests in the coming weeks. When it was possible for officers to take a break, to chat amongst themselves, many looked exhausted. And haunted.

For Cleveland police this is the second time in a week they have had to deal with riots after a night of disorder in Hartlepool on Wednesday.

The force said nine arrests had been made on Sunday and urged people to avoid the area. By 4.30pm the crowds had largely dispersed from the cenotaph but no one was betting that might be the end of it. An hour later Middlesbrough still echoed to sirens and the constant thrum of a police helicopter overhead.

Masked rioters break into hotel housing asylum seekers as violence leaves 10 police officers injured

Sky News
Updated Sun, 4 August 2024

Chairs have been hurled at police and windows were smashed as masked anti-immigration rioters broke into a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

Objects including long pieces of wood were thrown at the Holiday Inn Express and at police officers who lined up in front of the building as they tried to protect it.

At least 10 officers were injured, including one who was left unconscious, in violent scenes as the prime minister vowed rioters would "regret" engaging in "far-right thuggery".


UK protests latest: Masked group smash windows at hotel

At least one injured officer in riot gear was carried away by colleagues.

Hotel employees and residents were "terrified", but no injuries to them were reported.

Police, including some on horseback, had been trying to separate the crowd from the hotel entrance, but a large group forced their way inside after smashing a nearby glass door.

After breaking in, the rioters attempted to set the hotel on fire, before blockading the exit with bins. Riot police were able to move them away from the entrance, but the group moved around the side, throwing rocks and debris at the windows.

Masked men also sprayed fire extinguishers at officers.

Several men attacked police cars, including with a riot shield, stolen from an officer. Police have now formed a line around the hotel, preventing any of the group from getting inside.

Officers in riot gear have been moving back a large crowd who were gathered outside the building, but they have been coming under attack from people throwing stones and large pieces of wood.

One person has been arrested on suspicion of public order offences. Police are continuing to disperse the group from the area.

Assistant Chief Constable Lindsey Butterfield, of South Yorkshire Police, said: "Today in Rotherham we have seen our officers attacked and at least 10 injured, significant damage caused and a fire set outside a hotel full of terrified residents and staff.

"The mindless actions of those today have achieved nothing other than sheer destruction and leaving members of the public and the wider community in fear."

Addressing the nation, Sir Keir Starmer said that those involved in the unrest today and in recent days in parts of England and Northern Ireland will "regret" it and will "face the full force of the law".

BUF BRIT

'Utterly appalling'

He condemned the disorder as far-right thuggery, saying: "I guarantee you will regret taking part in this disorder, whether directly or those whipping up this action online and then running away themselves.

"This is not a protest, it is organised, violent thuggery and it has no place on our streets or online."

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the deliberate torching of a hotel where people were known to be inside was "utterly appalling" and South Yorkshire Police have government backing to take "the strongest action".

Violence in Middlesbrough

Bricks and other objects have been thrown at a line of police in riot gear by a group, including some masked, in Middlesbrough.

They also pushed burning wheelie bins at officers with shields, leaving the road strewn with smoking rubbish.

Cleveland Police said "a number of arrests" have been made since the protest started in Middlesbrough at around 2pm.

More than 300 people marched in the town carrying a banner saying: "Tom Jones is Welsh, Axel Rudakubana [Southport stabbings suspect] isn't" while chanting "We want our country back" as they made their way through the town centre.

At one point, police used dogs to keep the group back and stop them breaking through and running ahead of the officers patrolling the march.

At least two people were taken away in handcuffs within the first half hour, while several pieces of slate were thrown, along with vapes and full plastic bottles.

Some people kicked bollards into the road so that police vehicles driving ahead of the group could not get through, and one man sat on the bonnet of a police car to stop it from moving.

Businesses, including McDonalds, locked their doors as hundreds walked down the streets.

There was violence on Saturday in towns and cities such as Hull, Liverpool, Stoke-on-Trent, Nottingham, Bristol, Manchester, Blackpool and Belfast which saw several police officers injured.

Police given extra powers

It comes as a Section 34 dispersal notice was put in place in Bolton, giving officers extra powers to deal with anyone causing anti-social behaviour.

Read more:
Should the EDL be banned under terror laws?
'We took beer bottles to our helmets': Bristol riots

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) put a Section 34 in place in parts of Manchester on Saturday, as did police in Liverpool, Southport and Blackpool.

Sir Keir has given police his "full backing" to take any action necessary to respond to "extremists" attempting to "sow hate" after scenes of disorder in England and Northern Ireland this week.

He said: "The police will be making arrests. Individuals will be held on remand, charges will follow and convictions will follow."

More than 100 people have been arrested after riots broke out in the wake of the death of three young girls at a dance studio in Southport.

The Home Office has announced that mosques will be offered greater protection with new "emergency security" that can be rapidly deployed to respond to violent disorder.

Far-right rioters set fire to hotel hosting asylum seekers in Rotherham
Ross Hunter
Sun, 4 August 2024 at 8:02 am GMT-6·2-min read


Far-right rioters clash with police outside a Holiday Express in Manvers (Image: Danny Lawson/PA Wire.)


FAR-RIGHT rioters have set fire to hotel in Rotherham which is being used to house asylum seekers.

A large group of people draped in Union flags with some wearing balaclavas smashed the windows of a Holiday Express hotel in Manvers, South Yorkshire before setting the building on fire.

Police clashed with the group after bricks were thrown at the building as guests peered down from top floor windows.


Photographs show police officers in riot gear attempting to stop groups of men entering the building.

However, footage posted on social appears to show that some of the men were able to enter the hotel.

READ MORE: Tommy Robinson spreads disinformation about stabbing in Scottish city

It's believed the fire started after a wheelie bin was set on fire and thrown through the window of the hotel.

The Labour MP for Rotherham, Sarah Champion, described the behaviour as "criminal disorder".

She said: “I’m extremely concern at the escalating violence we are seeing at Holiday Inn, Manvers.

“The people causing damage and attacking police do not represent our town and I am disgusted by their actions.

This is criminal disorder and intimidation - not protest.”

It comes after dozens of people were arrested following riots across numerous cities in England enflamed by disinformation spread by far-right agitators such as Tommy Robinson on social media.

Indeed, Robinson attempted to increase tensions in the Scottish city of Stirling after a woman was stabbed by a man on Saturday.

Police in riot gear face off with a far-right mob outside a Holiday Express being used to house asylum seekers (Image: Danny Lawson/PA Wire.)

Robinson claimed the attacker was an “alleged Muslim” before Police Scotland issued a statement confirming they had arrested a white man who was local to the area.

John Swinney has since hit out at “unhelpful speculation” on the isolated incident, which police say poses no further threat to the public.

Far-right rioters loot shops and set fire to library and food bank in shameless day of disorder

Jabed Ahmed
Sun, 4 August 2024 

Looters have raided shops across the UK as they took advantage of the disorder caused by violent far-right demonstrations in cities across the country.

Several locations in England and Northern Ireland saw violent clashes involving far-right demonstrators, with dozens of police officers left injured, missiles thrown and shops broken into on Saturday. Home secretary Yvette Cooper said people involved in the clashes “will pay the price” and that “criminal violence and disorder has no place on Britain’s streets”.

Click here for our live coverage of the riots.

A Shoezone in Hull was looted and set on fire on Saturday (X/Twitter)


A man leaves an o2 store being looted in Hull (X/Twitter)

Rioters stole wine, shoes and phones; some shops were then torched during the chaos.

In footage from Liverpool, a group of rioters could be heard shouting “Get the phones! Get the phones!” as they ransacked a phone repair and vape shop in the city centre.

Have you been affected by looting? Email jabed.ahmed@independent.co.uk

Smashed glass and empty phone packaging could be seen on the streets after rioters kicked in the shutters, breaking their way into the business.

In another incident in Liverpool, thugs torched a recently renovated library and food bank on Saturday night. The Spellow Lane Library Hub, which was opened last year to provide support for one of the most deprived communities in the country, suffered severe damage.

A police car is set on fire in Sunderland on Friday night (Getty Images)

A group protest outside Leeds Town Hall (PA)

Liverpool City Region mayor Steve Rotheram condemned the mob who tried to prevent firefighters from accessing the blaze.

“Devastated to see this wonderful community asset ravaged by thugs,” Mr Rotheram said in a post on X.

A Shoezone in Hull was badly damaged after rioters shattered the glass storefront, looted the store and set it on fire. Footage showed a blaze inside the shop with shoes scattered on the path outside, while a Greggs and a Specsavers had also been targeted by masked men throwing stones and bricks.

Humberside Police said officers “faced eggs and bottles being thrown” as windows were smashed at a nearby hotel that has housed migrants.

A supermarket manager in Belfast said his store was reduced to ashes as rioters deliberately targeted immigrant-owned businesses.

“People attacked this place, racism against Islam and Muslims, especially the Muslim community,” Bashir said. “All of that happened and the police did nothing, I am telling you the truth. What kind of police are letting the people burn everything down?”

Across the road from the supermarket, the Bash Cafe, selling Arabic coffee and falafels, was badly damaged by fire.

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service said it had attended a shop and a cafe on fire on the Donegall Road on Saturday night. It said the cause of both fires had been determined as deliberate.

A supermarket manager said his store was reduced to ashes (PA)

A fire-damaged Citizen’s Advice Bureau in Sunderland (PA)

Masked men in Manchester chanted “England” and “Oh Tommy, Tommy!”, a reference to the founder of the far-right English Defence League Tommy Robinson, as they ransacked a Sainsbury’s local in Picadilly Gardens, leaving with expensive wines.

In footage of the incident, one man can be heard further encouraging the looters, shouting: “Go get the beers!” The men were chased by riot police before being detained.

Rioters in Sunderland set an overturned car on fire, set alight a disused police building and torched a Citizen’s Advice Bureau, while others targeted a mosque and chanted Islamophobic insults.

The far-right has drawn widespread condemnation as the organising force behind the scenes of disorder in the wake of the killings of three young girls in Southport.

False claims had spread online that the suspect, later identified as 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana from Lancashire, was an asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK by boat.


Dozens arrested in violent clashes across UK as government warns rioters ‘will pay the price’

Robin McKie, James Tapper, Michael Savage and Olivia Lee

 THE GUARDIAN
Sat, 3 August 2024


Police clash with right wing protesters in Piccadilly Gardens on 3 August in Manchester.Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images


Rioters will “pay the price” for the wave of violent clashes that has spread across the UK, ministers warned on Saturday, after a day in which police battled rival groups of demonstrators in the worst outbreak of civil disorder in Britain for more than a decade.

Dozens of arrests were made after the scenes of disorder, with police warning that further violence is likely in the coming days.

Multiple towns and cities saw clashes between anti-immigration demonstrators and counter-protesters, with police officers attacked and injured, and many more arrests promised.

The home secretary, Yvette Cooper, said the police would have the government’s full support to take the strongest possible action. “Criminal violence and disorder have no place on Britain’s streets,” she said.

Related: Rioting ‘flooding across major cities and towns’ as police brace for further disorder across UK – live

“Anyone who gets involved in criminal disorder and violent thuggery on our streets will have to pay the price and they should expect there to be arrests, prosecutions, penalties and the full force of the law including imprisonment and travel bans. There are consequences for breaking the law.”

The widespread clashes pose the first big challenge to Keir Starmer’s new government, which is facing demands to introduce emergency powers to stop further violence and to recall parliament.

On Saturday bricks were hurled at police officers in Stoke-on-Trent, fireworks were thrown amid tense exchanges between an anti-Islamic group and an anti-racism rally in Belfast, and windows of a hotel which has been used to house migrants were smashed in Hull, where three police officers were injured and four people arrested. Later video footage on social media showed shops on fire. Several officers were also injured during “serious disorder” in Liverpool city centre, where bricks, bottles and a flare were thrown and two officers needed hospital treatment and six arrests were made. Greater Manchester police said a dispersal notice had been authorised for the city centre. Scuffles broke out as opposing groups faced each other in Nottingham’s Old Market Square with bottles and other items thrown from both sides.

About 150 people carrying St George’s Cross flags, shouting “you’re not English any more” and “paedo Muslims off our street”, were greatly outnumbered in Leeds by hundreds of counter-protesters shouting “Nazi scum off our streets”. Skirmishes broke out between demonstrators and punks – in town for a festival – in Blackpool, with bottles and chairs thrown.

In Bristol, police kept protesters and counter protesters apart before a group headed to a hotel used to house asylum seekers.

The need for urgent political intervention was stressed by the government’s independent adviser on political violence and disruption, Lord Walney, who told the Observer that new emergency powers may be needed. “The system isn’t set up to deal with this rolling rabble-rousing being fuelled by far-right actors,” he said.

“I think home office ministers may want to look urgently at a new emergency framework – perhaps temporary in nature – that enables police to use the full powers of arrest to prevent people gathering where there is clear intent to fuel violent disorder.”

Keir Starmer held a meeting of senior ministers on Saturday in which he said police had been given full support to tackle extremists who were attempting “to sow hate by intimidating communities”. He made clear that the right to freedom of expression and the violent scenes over recent days were “two very different things”.

Last week’s riots followed the killing of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport on Monday. Axel Rudakubana, 17, from Lancashire, is accused of the attack, but false claims were spread online that the suspect was an asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK by boat. In the wake of these messages, far-right protesters – guided by social media – gathered in cities across the country.

A key factor in this spread of online disinformation involved Elon Musk’s decision to allow rightwing activists such as Tommy Robinson back onto his social media platform X, said Joe Mulhall, director of research at Hope not Hate, the anti-fascism organisation. “The initial disinformation and anger was being perpetrated by individuals on Twitter, for example, that have been previously deplatformed,” he said. “And now they’ve been replatformed.”

Robinson was permanently banned from the platform (then called Twitter) in March 2018, then reinstated in November last year, after Musk bought it. “We hadn’t seen any significant numbers at any demonstrations since 2018,” Mulhall added.

An example of the danger posed by the misuse of social media was revealed in Stoke-on-Trent, where police were forced to deny there had been a stabbing, countering claims made on social media. “There is growing speculation that a stabbing has taken place as a result of the disorder today. We can confirm this information is false and no stabbings have been reported to police or emergency responders, despite videos fuelling speculation on social media,” police said.

The danger of such intervention was stressed by Ben-Julian “BJ” Harrington, the National Police Chiefs Council lead for public order, who condemned social media disinformation as a cause of last week’s disorder.

He said: “We had reports today that two people had been stabbed by Muslims in Stoke – it’s just not true. There’s people out there, not even in this country, circulating and stoking up hatred, division and concerns in communities that they don’t care about, don’t know and don’t understand.”

Harrington, who was also the NPCC’s gold commander in charge of national strategy for Saturday’s disorder, said that “yobs and thugs and criminals” were responsible. “This isn’t about protests,” he said. “This is about violent disorder. This is about people who are descending into communities and causing damage – throwing bricks and bottles and things at cops who work within those communities.”

Forces across England brought officers back from leave to deploy an extra 130 police support units – about 2,000 officers, he revealed. “Of course there is a limited number of officers, and every one that is taken from a community is not out there solving burglaries.”

Echoing concerns about the dangers of social media, shadow home secretary James Cleverly called for tech companies to be hauled into Downing Street to ensure they were acting to stop the spread of disinformation on their platforms. However, he was criticised for issuing a statement in which he said Starmer taking the knee had sent “completely the wrong message” to protesters, adding that there was “never a justification for disorder like this”.

There was also further condemnation of Nigel Farage’s role in inciting the violence with his comments about the Southport killings, in which he questioned “whether the truth is being withheld from us” after the attack on Monday. Robert Jenrick, one of the favourites in the Tory leadership race, said that the Reform leader’s comments did not “make the situation better”.

Last week’s clashes spread four days ago, when more than 100 protesters were arrested on Whitehall, where bottles and cans were thrown at police, while violence also broke out in Hartlepool and in Manchester.

On Thursday, Starmer announced a new “national” response to the disorder linking police forces across the country through shared intelligence and the expanded use of facial recognition.

Then, on Friday, about 500 people, including some parents with their children, gathered in Sunderland city centre, responding to far-right social media posts to turn up and demonstrate. The gathering quickly descended into violence, with masked boys and men throwing missiles, including bricks, stones, beer barrels and scaffolding poles, at riot police.

Ten people were arrested and four policemen taken to hospital, one seriously injured. A police station was ransacked and a Citizens Advice Bureau set alight. By Saturday morning, the acrid smell of fire still hung in the air. Shoppers stopped to express their shock at what had happened, with hundreds of residents of all ages gathering on the city’s streets with brushes, litter pickers, buckets, bin bags and dust pans.

The Sunderland Central Labour MP, Lewis Atkinson, said a link could be drawn between the disorder and the ashes of the English Defence League (EDL), which was founded by Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. The EDL has disbanded but its supporters remain active, and Atkinson said evidence suggested a neo-Nazi offshoot of the group was involved in Friday’s violence.

A priest at Sunderland Minster said yobs tried to smash a gravestone to use as missiles during the disorder that gripped the city. “It’s an act of sacrilege to disturb someone’s gravestone,” said Rev Jacqui Tyson. “It’s also remarkably lacking in common sense – have you tried to pick up a gravestone?”


Thugs will ‘pay the price’, Government warns amid fears of more disorder to come

George Lithgow, PA
Sat, 3 August 2024 at 8:55 pm GMT-6·5-min read

Thugs who engage in criminal disorder on the streets will “pay the price”, the Government has said, amid warnings that further violence is likely in the coming days.

Towns and cities in England and Northern Ireland saw clashes between anti-immigration demonstrators and counter-protesters on Saturday, with police officers attacked and injured and a number of arrests made, with many more promised.

The string of violent incidents over the past few days began on Tuesday in Southport, after three girls were killed in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said people involved in the clashes “will pay the price” and that “criminal violence and disorder has no place on Britain’s streets”.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the police have his “full support” to take action against “extremists” attempting to “sow hate” by intimidating communities as he held emergency talks with ministers over the unrest in parts of England.

The far right has drawn condemnation from MPs across the political spectrum after disorder in London, Manchester, Southport and Hartlepool came before Saturday’s violence.

Police in Liverpool (James Speakman/PA)

Arrests have been made across the country with police warning of more to come once CCTV, social media and body-worn camera footage has been scoured.

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood told ministers “the whole justice system is ready to deliver convictions as quickly as possible”, a Downing Street spokesperson said, which could see courts sitting for 24 hours a day as they did for the 2011 riots, according to one report.

There was violence on Saturday in towns and cities such as Hull, Liverpool, Stoke-on-Trent, Nottingham, Bristol, Manchester, Blackpool and Belfast which saw several police officers injured.

It followed a riot in Sunderland on Friday evening.

A protest in Sunderland city centre (Scott Heppell/PA)

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said anyone who attacks police “should be ashamed”.

She wrote on X: “I cannot thank our local police enough for everything they’re doing to keep people safe.

They were among the first on the scene when the horrendous incident unfolded in Southport.

They run into danger to keep us safe, and those who attack them should be ashamed.”


Northern Ireland’s Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said “violence is not acceptable”.

“Northern Ireland must always be a place that protects the right to protest, the right to have a view and to express it”, she posted on X.

“Let’s be VERY clear – violence is not acceptable. It never was and it is not now. No one, NO ONE, has the right to express hate and violence. Stop it now.”

In Liverpool, Merseyside Police said about 300 people were involved in violent disorder on County Road, Walton, which included community facilities being set on fire.

The Spellow Lane Library Hub, which was opened last year to provide a much needed on stop shop for one of the most deprived communities in the country, has suffered severe damage to the ground floor.

Police said rioters tried to prevent firefighters accessing the fire, throwing a missile at the fire engine and breaking the rear window of the cab.

A total of 23 people were arrested on Saturday, including 12 arrests for the disorder in the city centre, nine arrests for the disorder on County Road and two arrests in connection with disorder in Southport.

One officer was kicked and knocked off his motorcycle by a demonstrator and others tried to kick riot shields.

In a post on X, Liverpool City Council urged people to “stay away from the area” and let police “deal with this ongoing situation in Walton”.

Assistant Chief Constable Alex Goss called the behaviour of protesters “deplorable”, adding: “The impact of the disorder will be devastating for the people of Walton, but I promise that we are doing everything in our power to arrest those involved and bring them to justice.”

Merseyside Police also said a 58-year-old man has been charged with two offences following the violent disorder in Southport on Tuesday.

Derek Drummond of Pool Street, Southport, has been charged with violent disorder and assault on an emergency worker. He will appear at Wirral Magistrates Court on Monday, August 5, police said.

In Hull, Humberside Police said there were 20 people arrested, three police officers injured and shops looted and burned after a mob attacked a hotel housing asylum seekers.

Assistant Chief Constable Mike Walker said: “The right to lawful protest is a part of democracy, which my officers upheld, however, we will not accept the senseless vandalism, antisocial behaviour and sheer violence that has been brought to our streets.”

Businesses were targeted in Belfast where police mounted a significant security operation during a lengthy confrontation between anti-Islamic protesters and those taking part in an anti-racist rally at Belfast City Hall during which fireworks and other missiles were thrown.

A vehicle is set alight in Belfast (David Young/PA)

In Bristol, police made 14 arrests because of violent disorder in the city centre which Avon and Somerset Police described as “completely unacceptable”.

Lancashire Police said more than 20 people were arrested and dispersal orders were issued in parts of Blackpool, Preston and Blackburn.

And Staffordshire Police said 10 people were also arrested following disorder in Stoke-on-Trent.

Further protests are planned for Sunday and more trouble is likely in the coming days, police said.

“We know people will try and do this again and policing has been and will continue to be ready,” said Chief Constable BJ Harrington, who speaks on public order for the National Police Chiefs’ Council.

“There are 130 extra units in place across the country, meaning almost 4,000 extra public order-trained officers to deploy.

“So if you’re planning to cause trouble and disorder our message is very simple – we’ll be watching you.”


Mapped: Violent protests grip the country with fears of more to come

Jabed Ahmed
Sun, 4 August 2024

Around 90 people were arrested following violence and disorder across the country in another night of rioting on Saturday, with police warning that further violence is likely in the coming days.

Several towns and cities in England and Northern Ireland saw violent clashes involving far-right demonstrators, with dozens of police officers left injured.

There was unrest in Manchester, Hull, Liverpool, Bristol, Stoke-on-Trent, Blackpool and Belfast, with missiles thrown and shops looted.

The string of violent incidents over the past few days began on Tuesday in Southport, after three girls were killed in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club.

Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer added the police have his “full support” to take action against “extremists” attempting to “sow hate” by intimidating communities as he held emergency talks with ministers over the unrest in parts of England.

The interactive map below shows the towns and cities where there was disorder and the number of arrests made.

The far right has drawn condemnation from MPs across the political spectrum after disorder in London, Manchester, Southport and Hartlepool came before Saturday’s violence.

False claims had spread online that the suspect, later identified as a 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana from Lancashire, was an asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK by boat in 2023.

Arrests have been made across the country with police warning of more to come once CCTV, social media and body-worn camera footage has been scoured.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said people involved in the clashes “will pay the price” and that “criminal violence and disorder has no place on Britain’s streets”.

In Liverpool, Merseyside Police said about 300 people were involved in violent disorder on County Road, Walton, which included community facilities being set on fire.

Police said rioters tried to prevent firefighters from accessing the fire, throwing a missile at the fire engine and breaking the rear window of the cab.

Police officers face protesters in Liverpool (James Speakman/PA Wire)

A total of 23 people were arrested on Saturday, Merseyside Police said. One officer was kicked and knocked off his motorcycle by a demonstrator and others tried to kick riot shields.

Lancashire Police said more than 20 people were arrested and dispersal orders were issued in parts of Blackpool, Preston and Blackburn.

Further protests are planned for Sunday and more trouble is likely in the coming days, police said.

“We know people will try and do this again and policing has been and will continue to be ready,” said Chief Constable BJ Harrington, who speaks on public order for the National Police Chiefs’ Council.

“There are 130 extra units in place across the country, meaning almost 4,000 extra public order-trained officers to deploy.

“So if you’re planning to cause trouble and disorder our message is very simple – we’ll be watching you.”

Lumpenproletariat

Roughly translated as slum workers or the mob, this term identifies the class of outcast, degenerated and submerged elements that make up a section of the population of industrial centers. It includes beggars, prostitutes, gangsters, racketeers, swindlers, petty criminals, tramps, chronic unemployed or unemployables, persons who have been cast out by industry, and all sorts of declassed, degraded or degenerated elements. In times of prolonged crisis (depression), innumerable young people also, who cannot find an opportunity to enter into the social organism as producers, are pushed into this limbo of the outcast. Here demagogues and fascists of various stripes find some area of the mass base in time of struggle and social breakdown, when the ranks of the Lumpenproletariat are enormously swelled by ruined and declassed elements from all layers of a society in decay.

The term was coined by Marx in The German Ideology in the course of a critique of Max Stirner. In passage of The Ego and His Own which Marx is criticising at the time, Stirner frequently uses the term Lumpe and applies it as a prefix, but never actually used the term “lumpenproletariat.” Lumpen originally meant “rags,” but began to be used to mean “a person in rags.” From having the sense of “ragamuffin,” it came to mean “riff-raff” or “knave,” and by the beginning of the eighteenth century it began to be used freely as a prefix to make a range of perjorative terms. By the 1820s, “lumpen” could be tacked on to almost any German word.

The term was later used in the Communist Manifesto (where it is translated as “dangerous classes”) and in Class Struggles in France, and elsewhere.

https://www.marxists.org/

Labour drops Tory plans to cut Civil Service numbers

Ben Riley-Smith
Sun, 4 August 2024 

Whitehall


The Government has quietly scrapped Tory plans to cut 66,000 Civil Service jobs.

In cuts announced in October 2023, Jeremy Hunt vowed to freeze numbers and eventually reduce them to pre-Covid pandemic levels.

But documents released by The Treasury last week confirmed the freeze had been abandoned alongside plans to reduce overall numbers.

The Civil Service headcount ballooned from about 380,000 before the Brexit vote in 2016 to around 480,000 at the start of 2023.

A Treasury insider defended the approach by noting that departments were still being asked to reduce administration budgets by 2 per cent, which could mean some job reductions.

Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to axe the planned cuts to the Civil Service came after he appointed Sue Gray, a former mandarin, as his all-powerful chief of staff.

Ms Gray was previously the second most senior official at the Cabinet Office, which is the government department responsible for overseeing Whitehall.

Sweeping powers over Labour policy

She was a controversial hire, having shot to prominence over her role in the Partygate investigation that brought down Boris Johnson.

Now she has sweeping powers over Labour policy and has surprised some within the party by actively lobbying for causes including the refurbishment of Casement Park.

But senior Tories criticised the decision. Mr Hunt said: “Labour is prioritising Whitehall over the taxpayer.

“We took the difficult decisions to cut the Civil Service headcount to 2019 levels to deliver important measures like increasing defence spending to 2.5 per cent.

“But if even relatively obvious decisions like this are ducked then it is all too obvious why the Chancellor has to invent fictitious black holes to justify tax rises.”

The civil servant rise has been put down to expansions in government departments needed to deal with the negotiated departure from the EU and the challenges of the pandemic.

Mr Johnson first vowed to reduce the size of the Civil Service by a fifth in May 2022, meaning more than 90,000 jobs would need to go.
‘New policies should not always mean new people’

Mr Hunt, who was kept on as chancellor by Rishi Sunak, outlined his own plans in October 2023 at the Conservative Party conference.

He said then: “We have the best civil servants in the world and they saved many lives in the pandemic by working night and day.

“But even after that pandemic is over, we still have 66,000 more civil servants than before. New policies should not always mean new people.

“So today I’m freezing the expansion of the Civil Service and putting in place a plan to reduce its numbers to pre-pandemic levels. This will save £1 billion next year.

“And I won’t lift the freeze until we have a proper plan not just for the Civil Service but for all public sector productivity improvements.”

Last week Rachel Reeves, Mr Hunt’s successor, abandoned several Tory projects, claiming she had inherited a £22 billion “black hole” in spending plans.

A Treasury document giving more detail noted “the Civil Service headcount cap announced by the previous administration will be lifted”.

Sources also confirmed the job cuts plan had been dropped.
‘It’s a chumocracy’

Critics of the drive have long argued that no detailed explanation for how the cuts were to be implemented was ever announced by either Mr Johnson or Mr Hunt.

Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, who as a Cabinet Office minister under Mr Johnson championed the cuts drive, was critical.

Sir Jacob said: “What has happened is the Labour Party has got in and shown itself to be a chumocracy.

“You take money from pensioners who vote Tory and you give it to public sector workers who you think are your voters and you want to employ even more of them. It’s pork barrel politics at its finest.”

A Treasury source defended the approach: “This Chancellor has already pressed Treasury officials time and time again to be driving efficiencies. It was one of the main things she focused on when she uncovered the £22 billion black hole and it led to the savings in the document.”

Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA which represents civil servants, said: “The previous government’s approach to setting a fixed headcount reduction was not only an intellectually bankrupt approach to driving efficiencies, but also led to perverse outcomes such as an increase in consultancy spend across the Civil Service.

“They were repeatedly advised that the approach was unworkable, but prioritised easy headlines over actual solutions.

“The Civil Service is a complex organisation of half a million staff in more than 250 diverse organisations. The idea you can dream up the perfect staffing level for 2029, simply based on what it was in 2019, demonstrates it was never about serious workforce management, or an attempt to match government commitments to the resources allocated by ministers.”

Gaza: airstrikes on schools and a hospital kill 30 amid ‘heated’ US-Israeli talks

Emma Graham-Harrison in Jerusalem

THE GUARDIAN
Sun, 4 August 2024

Israeli airstrikes hit two schools and a hospital complex in Gaza on Sunday, killing at least 30 people, amid reports of heated disagreements between US and Israeli leaders about a possible ceasefire deal.

Inside Israel, a Palestinian stabbed two people to death in a city near Tel Aviv, adding to tensions as the country braces for Iran’s response to the assassinations of key allies this week.

Fears of an all-out war in the region escalated after Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran and an Israeli airstrike hit Hezbollah’s second-in-command in Beirut. Iran has sworn revenge.


An Israeli military spokesperson warned the country’s air defence systems were “not airtight” and urged the public to be alert, as the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said the country was already in a multi-front war with Iran and its allies.

France and Italy became the latest countries to urge their citizens to leave Lebanon, as Israelis reported GPS jamming around Tel Aviv on Sunday, something the military has said in the past it does to counter the threats of drones and missiles.

The US has promised to defend Israel, ordering an aircraft carrier to sail to the region and moving other military assets into position.

Despite that solidarity in the face of a potential Iranian attack, the US president, Joe Biden, has been open about concerns that the killing of Haniyeh will complicate efforts to stop the fighting in Gaza, which is key to regional de-escalation.

He had a “heated conversation” this week with Netanyahu, who was forced to deny that he was an obstacle to a ceasefire and hostage release deal, the New York Times has reported, quoting a senior US official.

That was just the latest confrontation between two increasingly uneasy allies. Biden reportedly told the Israeli leader to “stop bullshitting me” when they discussed the return of hostages at an in-person meeting at the White House late last month.

“Biden realised that Netanyahu was lying to him about the hostages,” the Haaretz newspaper quoted a senior administration official as saying.

Biden’s reported scepticism about Netanyahu’s commitment to the return of Israeli hostages puts him on the same page as Israel’s defence chiefs. They believe the country’s leader is not interested a ceasefire deal even though they consider a workable proposal to be on the table, Israeli media reported this week.

Israeli airstrikes on two schools in Gaza City killed at least 25 people sheltering there on Sunday, and another attack on the courtyard of al-Aqsa hospital killed at least five people and set the tents of displaced people on fire.Interactive

The hospital is the main medical facility in the central city of Deir al-Balah, but its grounds have become an informal settlement for people who have fled their homes, many of them displaced various times as Israeli troops have moved across the strip during 10 months of war.

Video from the Associated Press showed men trying to put out fierce flames in the early morning dark and rescue the injured. A second strike on a nearby home killed a girl and her parents, the hospital said.

Those attacks came the day after 16 people were killed and 21 injured in a previous airstrike on displaced people sheltering in another school in Gaza City. The UN says 85% of school buildings in the Gaza Strip have been directly hit or damaged.

Israel’s military said it had struck Hamas command centres at the schools, and that the hospital strike targeted a militant, without providing further details or evidence.

The majority of the 2.3 million population have been displaced from their homes, many various times.

Many have been living for months in makeshift tent encampments or overcrowded shelters in shrinking “humanitarian zones”, which Israel still sometimes hits with airstrikes. The Israeli military also issued new evacuation orders on Sunday for parts of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

The toll from the war in Gaza reached 39,580 on Sunday, the territory’s health authorities said. Not all the dead have been identified, but civilians make up a majority of the 25,000 who have been named.

Thousands more are buried under the rubble or at risk from hunger and infectious diseases, whose spread is fuelled by the lack of clean water and sanitation across Gaza.

There has been a “frightening increase” in cases of hepatitis A to 40,000 since the war started from 85 in the same period a year ago, the head of the UN’s Palestinian relief agency (Unwra), Philippe Lazarrini said on Friday.

Polio has also been detected in waste water, putting many children there who are unvaccinated or have not completed the course of vaccination at risk of infection and possible paralysis.

The Israeli military announced in late July that it would offer a booster course of polio vaccine to troops serving in Gaza.

The WHO has said it is sending 1m polio vaccines, but warned it is not enough just to get them over the border, calling for a ceasefire to ensure all children who need coverage can be reached.

Israel launched its campaign in Gaza after cross-border Hamas attacks on 7 October, during which 1,200 people, most of them civilians, were killed and about 250 taken hostage.

The stabbings in Israel on Sunday took place in Holon, just south of Tel Aviv, in a park and near a fuel station. The victims were a woman in her 70s and a man in his 80s. Two men were injured, Israel’s ambulance service said.

Pharmacies in England cutting services amid financial pressures, research finds

Tobi Thomas Health and inequalities correspondent
Sun, 4 August 2024 

The research comes as data shows that almost 1,000 pharmacies in England have closed since 2017.Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The Guardian


Pharmacies across England are unable to provide critical NHS and public health services owing to the overwhelming financial and operational pressures they are facing, according to research.

A poll of pharmacy owners representing more than 2,100 pharmacies found that more than 96% of respondents said they had stopped providing locally commissioned services over the past 12 months.

These include emergency contraception and products to help quit smoking.


Four in five (81%) of pharmacy owners polled said they have had to stop offering extended opening hours, while 90% have had to stop employing locum pharmacists owing to the high costs.

Of the 92 owners polled for the representative body Community Pharmacy England, more than one-fifth said they have had to end free delivery of prescription medicines to patients.

The research comes as data shows that almost 1,000 pharmacies in England have closed since 2017, with poorer areas being affected disproportionately by the closures.

The Pharmacy First scheme was fully launched on 1 January this year, with patients in England now offered treatment for seven common conditions including urinary tract infections and shingles by a chemist without having to see a GP.

Janet Morrison, chief executive of Community Pharmacy England, said: “Across England patients and local communities are paying the price of our collapsing community pharmacy network, as thousands of pharmacies have been left with no choice but to reduce the services that they can offer. These are not decisions that any pharmacy wants to make, but with a 30% real-terms funding reduction and spiralling costs, pharmacy owners are having to make impossible decisions to try to keep their doors open.

Nick Kaye, the chair of the National Pharmacy Association, said: “The nation’s community pharmacies are under enormous pressure and are totally underfunded for their vital work on the health service frontline.

“This has inevitably resulted in cutbacks such as reduced opening hours and ending free medicines deliveries to housebound patients. Worse still, well over 1,000 pharmacies have been forced to close in the past decade.

“The government should be investing in us to reduce GP waiting times, but right now we are going backwards instead of fulfilling our potential as skilled clinicians.

He added: “If GPs limit the number of daily appointments, more patients will come to community pharmacies for help, but we are not in great shape after years of cuts. Our ability to be an effective shock-absorber for disruption elsewhere in the healthcare system has been eroded and we have serious capacity challenges.

“We need a new deal for community pharmacies that properly funds our work and allows us to deliver great NHS services.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “The NHS is broken, and pharmacies have been undervalued for too long.

“This government will shift the focus of the NHS out of hospitals and into the community. We will expand the role of pharmacies making better use of pharmacists’ skills, including accelerating the rollout of independent prescribing and establishing a community pharmacist prescribing service.”


Many online pharmacies selling weight loss products illegally: Study

Tara Suter
Sat, 3 August 2024



Many online pharmacies that are selling semaglutide, the main ingredient in weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy, are doing so illegally, according to new research.

The study, released Friday in the journal JAMA Network Open, found that when researchers used search engines to try and find “websites advertising semaglutide without a prescription” in the summer of last year, 42.27 percent of the online pharmacies that came up “belonged to illegal pharmacy operations.”

“This qualitative study found that semaglutide products are actively being sold without prescription by illegal online pharmacies, with vendors shipping unregistered and falsified products,” the study reads. “Two websites evaluated were sent [Food and Drug Administration (FDA)] warning letters for unlawful sale of unapproved and misbranded semaglutide.”

Tim Mackey, an author of the report and professor at the University of California, San Diego, said those who are shopping online for the anti-obesity meds are facing “serious consumer risks” of receiving medicine that is fake, ineffective and potentially dangerous.

The research echoes alerts from the World Health Organization (WHO), which warned in June that fake versions of semaglutide were located, and being sold, in different countries.

The World Health Organization (WHO) put out a medical product alert in June that warned of fake versions of semaglutide, diabetes drug, being located in different countries

“WHO advises healthcare professionals, regulatory authorities and the public [to] be aware of these falsified batches of medicines,” Dr. Yukiko Nakatani, WHO assistant director-general for Access to Medicines and Health Products, said in a statement. “We call on stakeholders to stop any usage of suspicious medicines and report to relevant authorities.”

Manufacturers have found it difficult to keep up with the demand for the anti-obesity meds, which can cost up to $1,300 per month, the study found. Because of this, the number of people searching for the medicine on online pharmacies has increased, exacerbating the rise in “knock off” products, per the research.

Mackey added that the rise in potentially illegal online sales can also be credited to insurance plans that do not cover the injections or patients whose doctors will not write them a prescription for the drug. Medicare also will not pay for the medicine when they are prescribed for weight loss, the study explained.

Mackey and his colleagues tested six different samples of semaglutide from different online pharmacies. In their study, they found that at least two of the pharmacies had received warning letters from the Food and Drug administration for the unlawful sale of misbranded semaglutide.

The drugs purchased online also contained up to 39 percent more semaglutide than was labeled on the medicine, the research found. Overdosing on the medicine could lead to nausea, vomiting and dangerous drops in blood sugar, which can make people feel sick, per the FDA.

Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly announced in June that it was filing several legal actions against med-spas, wellness centers and other entities that used unapproved products resembling their weight loss drug.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.



Health experts issue paracetamol warning to all Brits after revealing study

Matthew Evans
Sun, 4 August 2024 

Some people who take paracetamol regularly could have a heightened risk of certain deadly diseases (Image: Getty)


A medical study has highlighted the dangers of taking paracetamol regularly which has since prompted experts to send a warning to Brits.

It was assumed that - until fairly recently - paracetamol was a completely safe drug to use in patients with high blood pressure.

However, it has now been revealed that some people who take paracetamol regularly could have a heightened risk of certain deadly diseases.

A 2022 study found the effect on blood pressure is similar to that of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen.


NSAIDs are used to manage chronic pain but are also known to increase blood pressure and risk of heart disease, according to the ECHO.

Experts have said the increase in blood pressure might be expected to increase the risk of heart disease or stroke by around 20%. Researchers say patients who have a long-term prescription for the painkiller, usually used for the treatment of chronic pain, should be given the lowest effective dose for the shortest time possible.

Professor James Dear, personal chairman of clinical pharmacology at the University of Edinburgh, said: "This study clearly shows that paracetamol, the world's most used drug, increases blood pressure, one of the most important risk factors for heart attacks and strokes.

Prof Dear said doctors and patients should "together consider the risks versus the benefits" especially where patients are at risk of cardiovascular disease. He continued: "In summary, we've shown that two weeks of treatment with paracetamol increases blood pressure in patients who have hypertension (high blood pressure)."

Lead investigator Dr Iain MacIntyre, consultant in clinical pharmacology and nephrology at NHS Lothian said people who use paracetamol every once in a while shouldn't worry.

Dr MacIntyre said: "This is not about short-term use of paracetamol for headaches or fever, which is, of course, fine - but it does indicate a newly discovered risk for people who take it regularly over the longer term, usually for chronic pain."

The study found that after people stopped taking the drug, their blood pressure returned to what it was at the start of the study, suggesting the drug increased it.

"Doctors should always weigh up the benefits and risks"

Researchers said they did not have accurate numbers of the people in the UK who are on paracetamol long-term and have high blood pressure. However, it is estimated that one in three adults in the UK who have high blood pressure take paracetamol regularly.

According to the experts, the study was set up to see a very small effect on blood pressure, and they were surprised to see a much bigger impact.

Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, medical director at the British Heart Foundation, which funded the study, said the findings "emphasise why doctors and patients should regularly review whether there is an ongoing need to take any medication" and "always weigh up the benefits and risks."

Blood Pressure UK says around one in three adults in the UK has high blood pressure. In England, this is 31% of men and 26% of women.

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