Nigel Farage has posted a statement in response to the UK riots on social media, blaming the “soft policing of the Black Lives Matter” protests for sparking violent uprisings across the country.
Police clashed with crowds as the escalating violence – one week on from the Southport stabbings – continued over the weekend across the country.
Several suspects are due to face charges in court on Monday, as ministers and police chiefs are due to descend on Downing Street for the meeting which will set out the response for the coming days in a bid to clamp down on further unrest.
Facing the biggest challenge to his premiership so far, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer addressed the nation on Sunday, telling perpetrators they would “regret” engaging in “far-right thuggery” and promising those involved in unrest that they would “face the full force of the law”.
While Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the courts are on “stand-by” to ensure “swift justice”.
Farage, meanwhile, looked to sow yet more division by pointing the blame at the Black Lives Matter movement in a statement posted on social media.
The Reform UK leader said: “In the short term, we will quell the riots, but deeper long-term problems remain.
“Ever since the soft policing of the Black Lives Matter protests, the impression of two-tiered policing has become widespread.
“The Prime Minister’s faltering attempts to address the current crisis have only added to that sense of injustice.”
Read his statement in full below:
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