The police were injured in clashes at a Holiday Inn hotel in Tamworth, with windows smashed and three Molotov cocktails used. In Bolton, rival demonstrators were kept apart, with one group shouting “Allahu Akbar” at anti-immigration protesters. Anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim groups spread disinformation about a child murder suspect being a refugee and radical Islamist, but British authorities revealed the suspect was actually born in Britain. Labour Party leader Keir Starmer held an emergency meeting to address the “far-right thuggery” behind the riots and promised to use the “full force of the law” against the rioters. A “standing army” of specialist officers is being formed to tackle the unrest. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper called the attack on the Rotherham hotel “utterly appalling.” Assistant Chief Constable Lindsey Butterfield of South Yorkshire Police vowed to find and bring those involved in the riots to justice, noting that police dogs were injured and police horses were attacked with bricks, eggs, and bottles. The government has also pledged to provide emergency security for mosques.
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