The football season starting this weekend increases the pressure on the authorities.
10:21am•Updated 10:25am
King of Britain Charles III has commented for the first time on the far-right riots raging in the country. On Friday, the king thanked the British police and rescue services for their work to achieve peace, says a spokesman for Buckingham Palace.
According to the spokesperson, the king also said he hoped that the shared values of mutual respect and understanding would continue to strengthen and unite the nation.
Charles and the Queen Camilla earlier offered their condolences to the families of the three children killed in the Southport stabbing.
In Britain, the king does not usually comment on matters that could cause political controversy. For example, the late queen Elizabeth II remained silent during the wave of riots that shook Britain in 2011.
The starting football season is worrying
The British police said on Friday that almost 500 people have already been arrested in the riots that started on July 30. About 150 charges have been brought.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s according to the country is on alert for new far-right riots this weekend.
Also, the start of the football season, according to Starmer, will increase the challenges for the police this weekend. Some of the far-right rioters are believed to have links to the country’s soccer hooligans.
A spokesman for Britain’s soccer-specific police unit said it was being briefed on arrests made during the recent unrest and the possibility of banning those individuals from football stadiums.
The unrest in Britain, which lasted for several days, started when a knife attack took place in Southport, Northwestern England, in late July, in which three little girls died. Disinformation spread about the attacker has also been estimated to have fueled the situation.
According to the authorities, the rioters used the girls’ murders to start racist and anti-Islamic demonstrations. The attacker is a 17-year-old son born in Britain of Rwandan parents.