Violent rioting IS terrorism, ex Met counter-terror boss blasts as cops hit with petrol bombs & bricks in carnage
VIOLENT rioting is terrorism, an ex Met counter-terror boss has blasted after cops were hit with petrol bombs and bricks last night.
More than 400 people have now been arrested over the week of carnage on England and Northern Ireland’s streets.
Former counter-terror chief Neil Basu said some of the violence over the past week has “crossed the line into terrorism”.
Basu told the BBC: “I think we have seen serious acts of violence designed to cause terror to a section of our community.”
He said the riots had been sparked by “lies spread through social media” – urging the government to take action.
Basu also slammed Tommy Robinson for “glorifying and creating violence from his sunbed in the Mediterranean”.
Robinson, 41, aka Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, had a UK arrest warrant issued against him last Monday after he skipped a court appearance.
The far-right agitator has now fled to a all-inclusive resort in Cyprus – where he has posted a string of inflammatory tweets.
Basu said: “Yaxley-Lennon knows well he’s in the full glare of policing, counter-terrorism policing, and the security service.
“He has spent many years skirting round various fringes of the law.
“He has been able to inflame and toxify debates and create the kind of mayhem we’re seeing.
“If he is not crossing a legal threshold, then the government and society need to consider if that threshold is in the wrong place.”
It comes after riot yobs lobbed missiles at cops, stormed a pub and chucked paint over graves in ANOTHER night of carnage.
Thugs hurled petrol bombs, bricks and bottles at police vans in south Belfast last night – while cops came under attack in Plymouth.
In Burnley, gravestones in a Muslim cemetery were vandalised in what the town’s council leader called an “evil act” by “heinous individuals”.
Violent clashes broke out in dozens of UK towns and cities last week and continued over the weekend.
They have been fuelled by online lies following the murders of three girls in Southport on Monday.
Posts wrongly claimed suspect Axel Rudakubana was a Muslim asylum seeker.
Rudakubana, 17, was actually born in Cardiff and raised as a Christian.
Six people were arrested in Plymouth last night after cops were injured in the violence.
And in Birmingham masked protesters interrupted a live news broadcast shouting “F*** the EDL” – before swarming a pub.
In south Belfast, thugs hurled stones and petrol bombs at police vans near a supermarket which had been torched at the weekend.
More than 400 people have now been arrested over the week of carnage on England and Northern Ireland’s streets.
Footage shows how thugs in the Northern Irish capital hurled petrol bombs at police vans.
South Belfast resident Mohammed Idris told the BBC he won’t reopen his cafe after vile thugs torched it at the weekend.
Riot cops were deployed to Sandy Row last night close to a supermarket that was set on fire.
Bottles, petrol bombs and planks of wood were then thrown at police vehicles during the unrest.
Officers with riot shields were seen standing firm as they lined up in a show of force despite missiles sailing through the air.
Youths dressed in black were also seen throwing stones at police Land Rovers.
In Plymouth, three cops were injured after far-right supporters pelted them with stones and lumps of concrete in fresh clashes.
Several protesters also suffered injuries, bins were set on fire and fireworks were hurled as the opposing groups collided in the seaside city.
More than 150 cops were deployed by Devon and Cornwall Police in a bid to get a grip on the situation.
Officers with riot shields stood firm and have been seen shoving back protesters from both sides who provoked them.
One male officer was pulled off the line with an apparent injury while several protesters needed treatment for head wounds.
Birmingham also saw chaotic scenes as a Sky News van was attacked by knife-wielding man.
Meanwhile, hundreds of yobs wearing balaclavas descended on a pub with a man viciously attacked.
But there were powerful scenes in Liverpool, where mosque leaders embraced far-right protesters and offered them food – reducing some to tears.
Yesterday Sir Keir Starmer hit out at thugs wreaking havoc across Britain.
The PM said violence would not be “tolerated” and the full force of the law will come down on the perpetrators.
Starmer said: “There are a number of actions that came out of the meeting.
“The first is we will have a Standing Army of specialist public duty officers so that we will have enough officers to deal with this where we need them.
“The second is we will ramp up criminal justice. There have already been hundreds of arrests, some have appeared in court this morning.
“I have asked for early consideration of the earliest naming and identification of those involved in the process who will feel the full force of the law.”
A No10 spokesperson warned social media bosses that they have a responsibility to guarantee criminal activity doesn’t appear or run amok on their platforms.
They said ministers are in close contact with tech chiefs to “ensure they are meeting their obligations” around racist illegal activity.
Downing Street also confirmed there are enough free prison cells to ensure every last rioter is locked up.
How riots rocked Britain
Violent clashes broke out in dozens of towns and cities last week and over the weekend following the murders of three girls in Southport.
They have been fuelled by online posts wrongly claiming suspect Axel Rudakubana was a Muslim asylum seeker.
Rudakubana, 17, was actually born in Cardiff and raised as a Christian.
Terrifying violence erupted hours after the attack in Southport later spreading to Hartlepool and Manchester on Wednesday.
Riots then broke out in Sunderland and Blackpool on Friday – and in 11 more cities on Saturday and Sunday.
Mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers have been attacked while shops owned by ethnic minority Brits have been looted.
Hundreds of thugs petrol-bombed a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham near Sheffield on Sunday.
Yobs also petrol-bombed a Holiday Inn hosting asylum seekers in Tamworth, Staffordshire.
And last night thugs lobbed petrol bombs, bricks and bottles at cops, stormed a pub and chucked paint over graves in ANOTHER night of carnage.
Rioters hurled petrol bombs at police vans in south Belfast last night – while cops came under attack in Plymouth.
In Burnley, gravestones in a Muslim cemetery were vandalised in what the town’s council leader called an “evil act” by “heinous individuals”.
Six people were arrested in Plymouth after cops were injured in the violence.
And in Birmingham masked protesters interrupted a live news broadcast shouting “F*** the EDL” – before swarming a pub.
The violence has been fuelled by a “rogues’ gallery” of far-right agitators including Tommy Robinson, Andrew Tate and Britain First’s Paul Golding.