'Won’t stand for intimidation on our streets based on colour of skin': UK PM Starmer

London: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the assaults on police officers and racist intimidation on Sunday, a day after a massive anti-immigrant protest turned violent and injured scores of police officers.

The ‘Unite the Kingdom’ protest, organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson and addressed remotely by American tech billionaire Elon Musk, descended into chaos on Saturday with at least 26 police officers hurt in clashes and 24 arrests.

In his first official response to the violence on the streets not far from 10 Downing Street, Starmer took to X to condemn intimidation of people based on their migrant background.

“People have a right to peaceful protest. It is core to our country’s values,” said Starmer.

“But we will not stand for assaults on police officers doing their job or for people feeling intimidated on our streets because of their background or the colour of their skin,” he said.

“Britain is a nation proudly built on tolerance, diversity and respect. Our flag represents our diverse country and we will never surrender it to those that use it as a symbol of violence, fear and division,” he added.

On Saturday, the Met Police said an estimated 1,50,000 gathered for a rally that heard speeches against immigration as the British Union Jack and St George’s flags were waved by crowds.

A smaller counter-protest, Stand Up To Racism, was being held in a demarcated area nearby but the police said the turnout far exceeded the initial estimates of the organisers, causing a spillover of the two camps.

“There is no doubt that many came to exercise their lawful right to protest, but there were many who came intent on violence. They confronted officers, engaging in physical and verbal abuse and making a determined effort to breach cordons in place to keep everyone safe,” said Met Police Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist.

“The violence they faced was wholly unacceptable; 26 officers were injured, including four seriously – among them broken teeth, a possible broken nose, a concussion, a prolapsed disc and a head injury. The 25 arrests we have made so far is just the start,” he said.

UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood posted on social media on Saturday to warn the protesters behind the violence that they would “face the full force of the law.” “What worries me most is the divisions in our society and other societies and other democratic societies... it's not even the left and the right at the moment. There are figures such as Tommy Robinson that are able to touch into a sense of disquiet and grievance in the community, in our society,” Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle told the BBC.

The minister criticised Musk's comments after he appeared at Saturday's rally via video link telling protesters to “fight back” or “die.” “I thought that they were slightly incomprehensible comments that were totally inappropriate,” he said, reiterating that any violence on UK streets will not go unpunished.

Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, told crowds that UK courts had decided the rights of undocumented migrants superseded those of the “local community.” He referenced a recent Court of Appeal decision to overturn an injunction blocking asylum seekers being housed at the Bell Hotel in Essex.

“They told the world that Somalians, Afghanis, Pakistanis, all of them, their rights supersede yours — the British public, the people that built this nation,” he said, with reference to the case.

Robinson’s supporters went on to hurl objects at counter-demonstrators as both groups faced off on Whitehall in central London on Saturday, police said.

“Our post-event investigation has already begun – we are identifying those who were involved in the disorder and they can expect to face robust police action in the coming days and weeks,” Assistant Commissioner Twist added.

The issue of a high number of asylum seekers being housed in hotels funded by British taxpayers has been dominating headlines in recent months. The Starmer-led Labour government has blamed it on the backlog caused by the former Tory regime and pledged to curb soaring migration numbers in order to move away from the forced use of hotel accommodation.