LONDON: The UK government welcomed Monday the “de-escalation” of disorder and rioting in English towns and cities following a knife attack that killed three children, but insisted officials remain on “high alert.”
“We welcome that there has been a de-escalation this weekend. But we’re certainly not complacent and remain on high alert,” a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said.
The violence, blamed on the far right, came after misinformation spread about the alleged perpetrator of a mass stabbing on July 29 at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, northwestern England.
Three girls — Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven — died in the attack. Ten others were injured including eight children.
The stabbings sparked a riot in Southport the following evening, on July 30, and violence in more than a dozen English towns and cities as well as in Northern Ireland over the ensuing week.
Starmer’s spokeswoman said authorities had acted decisively to quell the unrest but that there was no room for complacency.
“We also recognize that the job is not done until people feel safe in their communities, but thanks to the work of our police officers, prosecutor and judiciary, we have seen a swift response from the justice system,” she said.
“Within a matter of days, we’ve seen criminals involved arrested, charged, sentenced and behind bars,” she added.
Officials blamed the violence on far-right agitators and opportunist “thugs” accused of using the tragedy to further their anti-immigration, anti-Muslim agenda.
Misinformation spread online in the immediate aftermath of the stabbing spree, claiming that the perpetrator was a Muslim immigrant.
British-born Axel Rudakubana has been charged with murder and attempted murder over the attack. His parents hail from Rwanda, which is overwhelmingly Christian.
A motive for the attack has not been disclosed, but police have said it is not being treated as terrorism-related.
UK govt welcomes ‘de-escalation’ of riots, remains on ‘high alert’
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UK govt welcomes ‘de-escalation’ of riots, remains on ‘high alert’
- Starmer’s spokeswoman said authorities had acted decisively to quell the unrest but that there was no room for complacency
- Officials blamed the violence on far-right agitators and opportunist “thugs” accused of using the tragedy to further their anti-immigration, anti-Muslim agenda
France’s Le Pen insists party acted in ‘good faith’ at EU fraud appeal
- Le Pen said on her second day of questioning that even if her party broke the law, it was unintentional
- She also argued that the passage of time made it “extremely difficult” for her to prove her innocence
PARIS: French far-right leader Marine Le Pen told an appeals trial on Wednesday that her party acted in “good faith,” denying an effort to embezzle European Parliament funds as she fights to keep her 2027 presidential bid alive.
A French court last year barred Le Pen, a three-time presidential candidate from the far-right National Rally (RN), from running for office for five years over a fake jobs scam at the European institution.
It found her, along with 24 former European Parliament lawmakers, assistants and accountants as well as the party itself, guilty of operating a “system” from 2004 to 2016 using European Parliament funds to employ party staff in France.
Le Pen — who on Tuesday rejected the idea of an organized scheme — said on her second day of questioning that even if her party broke the law, it was unintentional.
“We were acting in complete good faith,” she said in the dock on Wednesday.
“We can undoubtedly be criticized,” the 57-year-old said, shifting instead the blame to the legislature’s alleged lack of information and oversight.
“The European Parliament’s administration was much more lenient than it is today,” she said.
Le Pen also argued that the passage of time made it “extremely difficult” for her to prove her innocence.
“I don’t know how to prove to you what I can’t prove to you, what I have to prove to you,” she told the court.
Eleven others and the party are also appealing in a trial to last until mid-February, with a decision expected this summer.
- Rules were ‘clear’ -
Le Pen was also handed a four-year prison sentence, with two years suspended, and fined 100,000 euros ($116,000) in the initial trial.
She now again risks the maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a one-million-euro ($1.16 million) fine if the appeal fails.
Le Pen is hoping to be acquitted — or at least for a shorter election ban and no time under house arrest.
On Tuesday, Le Pen pushed back against the argument that there was an organized operation to funnel EU funds to the far-right party.
“The term ‘system’ bothers me because it gives the impression of manipulation,” she said.
EU Parliament official Didier Klethi last week said the legislature’s rules were “clear.”
EU lawmakers could employ assistants, who were allowed to engage in political activism, but this was forbidden “during working hours,” he said.
If the court upholds the first ruling, Le Pen will be prevented from running in the 2027 election, widely seen as her best chance to win the country’s top job.
She made it to the second round in the 2017 and 2022 presidential polls, before losing to Emmanuel Macron. But he cannot run this time after two consecutive terms in office.
