UK police arrested a 49-year-old man after he allegedly spread racial hatred online while holding a weapon following the protests in Birmingham.
The arrest came as UK police intensified its efforts to arrest “armchair thugs” responsible for spreading online hatred on social media platforms at a time when the country is already grappling with violent protests that kicked off in late July.
Similarly, Cumbria Police also arrested two men who were allegedly involved in propagating religious hatred through their intimidating online actions. One of them was reportedly involved in posting anti-police content online at the same time when far-right protesters nationwide came face to face against law enforcement, resulting in the injury of at least 50 cops.
Another online rioter, Jordan Parlour, has already been sentenced to 20 months in jail after he admitted to posting on Facebook to encourage violence against an asylum facility in Leeds.
Meanwhile, UK courts have already charged over 140 people involved in recent anti-immigration protests in expedited hearings, with many more waiting for their trials.
Law enforcement authorities are trying to increase their efforts to arrest more people in the upcoming days as they gather information about protesters who were involved in the recent violence.
At least one active case of terrorism is also under consideration, but prosecutors are yet to bring specific charges in that case. According to the Director of Public Prosecutions, Stephen Parkinson, they are cooperating with counter-terrorism police departments to move such cases forward and to gather evidence of violent crimes that were triggered by online content.
Parkinson noted that he is also aware of overseas UK nationals who are inciting violence on the internet and will work to make their extradition to the UK possible. He believes that some groups are acting out of ideological compulsions, forcing them to engage in anti-social behavior in cities across the country.
The latest UK riots started when a Welsh-born boy, whose parents are originally from Rwanda, stabbed three girls to death and injured ten others. The horrific stabbing happened at a Taylor Swift-themed dance party and triggered the online misinformation that the attacker was a Muslim immigrant. This misinformation led to the eruption of anti-immigration and anti-Muslim riots as many far-right elements took to the streets to attack mosques and immigration facilities.
One right-wing activist, who has now been jailed for three years, was seen punching a police officer in the face while he was protecting the Southport Mosque as other rioters shouted anti-Islam slogans.
UK’s new Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, announced that he would tackle the riots using the full force of the law, launching a mass arrest drive, which has so far led to more than 400 detentions.
Starmer indicated that every rioter who was involved in violence will “regret” their participation in the protests, adding that such demonstrations are not protests but a “violent thuggery.” These protests tested the limits of Starmer who rose to power after a huge election victory in May.