India alerts citizens about UK travel amid violent clashes

The high commission of India in London on Tuesday issued a safety advisory for Indian nationals to “stay vigilant and exercise due caution” amid ongoing violent clashes which have targeted immigrants and asylum-seekers in parts of the UK since last week.

The advisory posted on the social media channels of the Indian mission also provides emergency contact information for anyone in need of urgent assistance. It comes a week after the fatal stabbing of three young girls in Southport, north-west England, and incorrect social media claims over the UK-born suspect's asylum-seeker status.

“Indian travellers would be aware of recent disturbances in some parts of the United Kingdom. The High Commission of India in London is closely monitoring the situation,” reads the message entitled ‘Advisory for Indian Citizens Visiting the UK.'

“Visitors from India are advised to stay vigilant and exercise due caution while travelling in the UK. It is advisable to follow local news and advisories issued by local security agencies, and to avoid areas where protests are underway,” it added.

The contact provided for India House at Aldwych, London, in case of an emergency is: +44-2078369147 and inf.london@mea.gov.in.

Birmingham in the north and Plymouth in southern England witnessed the latest scenes of clashes between two sets of protesters overnight on Monday.

A man is in a serious condition in hospital after being attacked in a suspected hate crime in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and police officers were attacked with bricks in Darlington, northern England. PTI AK

The British government said it has accelerated its plans to deal with prison capacity to ensure sufficient space for an expected rise in prisoners due to rioting after hundreds of arrests have been made.

“I think we have seen serious acts of violence designed to cause terror to a section of our community," Neil Basu, the former head of counter-terrorism policing, told the BBC.

Basu also blamed social media companies for not taking tough enough action to clampdown on misinformation and said “we should be appealing” to advertisers to cut the funding of social media giants if responsibility was not exercised.

Meanwhile, the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) and Department for Science, Innovation and Technology are investigating the role of foreign state actors amplifying misinformation and disinformation about the UK riots, including cracking down on automated online bots.

"Clearly we have seen bot activity online, much of which may well be amplified with the involvement of state actors amplifying some of the disinformation and misinformation that we've seen," said Prime Minister Keir Starmer's official spokesperson, but declined to say which states may be involved.

On Monday after a high-level COBRA security meeting, Starmer pledged a “standing army” of specialist officers to stamp out the riots across several cities in the country, which he has termed as “far-right thuggery.”

“I've asked for the early consideration of the earliest naming and identification of those involved in the process, who will feel the full force of the law,” he said.

Many of his own Labour Party MPs and Opposition members are calling for Parliament to be recalled from its summer recess to debate the issue, but Starmer has so far insisted the government needs to focus on restoring calm on the streets.

The trigger of the riots lies in Southport, near Liverpool, which was the scene of the stabbing of a group of young children at a Taylor Swift themed dance class on July 29. Axel Rudakubana, 17, who has been charged with three murders and other attempted murders, was born in Cardiff, Wales, to Rwandan parents. However, initial false social media posts claimed he was a refugee who arrived last year on a small boat.