Britain is on Alert for Further Unrest Even after Anti-Racism Campaigners Faced Down the Far Right

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech during a press conference, following clashes after the Southport stabbing, at 10 Downing street in central London, Britain, August 1, 2024. Henry Nicholls/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech during a press conference, following clashes after the Southport stabbing, at 10 Downing street in central London, Britain, August 1, 2024. Henry Nicholls/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
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Britain is on Alert for Further Unrest Even after Anti-Racism Campaigners Faced Down the Far Right

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech during a press conference, following clashes after the Southport stabbing, at 10 Downing street in central London, Britain, August 1, 2024. Henry Nicholls/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech during a press conference, following clashes after the Southport stabbing, at 10 Downing street in central London, Britain, August 1, 2024. Henry Nicholls/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

British authorities said Thursday they were preparing for the possibility of further unrest, even as they applauded the efforts of anti-racism campaigners and police officers who largely stifled a threatened wave of far-right demonstrations overnight.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer sounded the note of caution after a week of anti-immigrant violence that has scarred communities from Northern Ireland to the south coast of England. Starmer spoke to reporters at a mosque in Solihull, near Birmingham, where demonstrators shut down a shopping center on Sunda, The Associated Press said.
“It’s important that we don’t let up here,” Starmer said.
At an emergency meeting with law enforcement officers at his office, Starmer said on Thursday evening that police need to remain on “high alert,” Britain’s Press Association reported. He credited strategic police staffing and swift justice for rioters in the courts for creating a deterrent that kept trouble at a minimum the night before.
Police across the United Kingdom had braced for widespread disorder on Wednesday, after far-right activists circulated a list of more than 100 sites they planned to target, including the offices of immigration lawyers and others offering services to migrants.
But those demonstrations failed to materialize as police and counter-protesters filled the streets.
Carrying signs saying “Refugees Welcome” and chanting “Whose streets? Our streets,” people turned out in force to protect asylum service centers and the offices of immigration attorneys.
The government also declared a national critical incident, putting 6,000 specially trained police on standby to respond to any disorder. Police said that protests and counter-protests were largely peaceful, though a small number of arrests were made.
“The show of force from the police and, frankly, the show of unity from communities together defeated the challenges that we faced,” said Commissioner Mark Rowley, the head of London’s Metropolitan Police Service. “It went off very peacefully last night, and the fears of extreme right disorder were abated.”
But tensions remain high after right-wing agitators fueled the violence by circulating misinformation about the identity of the suspect in a knife attack that killed three young girls in the English seaside town of Southport last week. The last child hospitalized in the July 29 stabbing has been released, police said Thursday.
Nearly 500 people have been arrested around the country after anti-immigrant mobs clashed with police, attacked mosques and overran two hotels housing asylum-seekers. Among them was a man in his 50s, arrested on suspicion of “encouraging murder.” The arrest came after a local Labor councilor allegedly called for far-right protesters’ throats to be “cut.''
The Labor Party suspended Ricky Jones, who is alleged to have made the remark at a London demonstration Wednesday.
The government has pledged to track down and prosecute those responsible for the disorder, including people who incite violence online.
In an effort to dissuade people from taking part in future unrest by showing that rioters will face swift justice, TV cameras were allowed into Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday as Judge Andrew Menary sentenced two men to 32 months in prison.
During the hearing, prosecutors played video of rioters pelting police with bricks and setting garbage cans on fire. One of the suspects was in the middle of a group that ripped the bumper off a police vehicle and threw it at officers as onlookers cheered.
“It seems to me there were hundreds of people observing, as if this was some sort of Tuesday night entertainment,” Menary said. “All of them should be frankly ashamed of themselves.”
Northern Ireland’s regional legislative assembly convened Thursday to respond to the unrest. Minister for Justice Naomi Long said the violence and racist attacks in recent days were “not reflective” of the people of Northern Ireland.
The government is also considering imposing sanctions other than jail time, including banning rioters from soccer matches. Home Office minister Diana Johnson told LBC Radio that there should be consequences for those implicated in disorder.
“I think all options are being looked at, to be honest, and I am pretty clear that most football clubs do not want to be seen to have football hooligans and people carrying out criminal acts on the streets of the local communities in their stands on a Saturday,″ she said.



Trump Nominee Pete Hegseth Weathers Democrats’ Grilling to Emerge Largely Unscathed

US Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC, USA, 14 January 2025. (EPA)
US Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC, USA, 14 January 2025. (EPA)
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Trump Nominee Pete Hegseth Weathers Democrats’ Grilling to Emerge Largely Unscathed

US Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC, USA, 14 January 2025. (EPA)
US Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC, USA, 14 January 2025. (EPA)

President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, endured fierce Democratic grilling over everything from his inexperience and his past opposition to women in combat to emerge largely unscathed among Republicans at his confirmation hearing on Tuesday.

Hegseth, a former Fox News host and decorated veteran, is one of the most controversial figures ever nominated to be Secretary of Defense and any vote to confirm him is expected to be very close.

But he weathered the four-hour hearing without making any major gaffe that might have alienated Republicans and even won critical backing from Republican Senator Joni Ernst, who holds sway in her party.

Several other committee Republicans, to laughter from a friendly audience packed with supporters wearing Hegseth hats, praised the 44-year-old, who has slammed diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the military, and, in his latest book, questioned whether the top US general has the job because he's Black.

Asked if he would fire the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General C.Q. Brown, if he takes over the military, a possibility first reported by Reuters, Hegseth declined to rule it out, saying he would be carrying out a broad review.

"Every single senior officer will be reviewed based on meritocracy, standards, lethality and commitment to lawful orders they will be given," Hegseth said.

Hegseth had strongly opposed women in combat roles but walked back that stance during the hearing.

"Mr. Hegseth, I do not believe that you are qualified to meet the overwhelming demands of this job," said Senator Jack Reed, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

A number of episodes have sparked concern, including a 2017 sexual assault allegation against Hegseth that did not result in charges and which he denies. He has also been accused of excessive drinking and financial mismanagement at veterans' organizations. Hegseth has vowed to abstain from alcohol if confirmed and said he made financial errors but denied wrongdoing.

Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand slammed Hegseth's past remarks about women, saying he would have to fundamentally change how he sees women who constitute 18% of the US military.

"We have hundreds - HUNDREDS - of women who serve in the infantry, lethal members of our military ... But you degrade them," Gillibrand said in a heated exchange.

"Please explain these types of statements because they're brutal, and they're mean."

Despite strong support from Trump's Republicans, Hegseth's confirmation will likely be by a narrow margin, compared with the 93-2 vote for President Joe Biden's defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, and 98-1 for Jim Mattis, Trump's first nominee for the position.

After the hearing, Ernst, who pundits speculated could vote against Hegseth and perhaps convince others to do the same, said she supported Hegseth.

"Our next commander in chief selected Pete Hegseth to serve in this role, and after our conversations, hearing from Iowans, and doing my job as a United States Senator, I will support President Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense," Ernst said in a statement.

As Hegseth walked into the packed hearing room, he was greeted with cheers and a standing ovation, with chants of "USA, USA, USA" and a shout of "Get 'em, Petey."

Senator Roger Wicker, the Republican who leads the committee, endorsed Hegseth, calling him "unconventional," and adding, "Regarding his personal conduct, Mr. Hegseth has admitted to falling short, as we all do from time to time."

Republican senators, including Markwayne Mullin and Tim Sheehy, strongly backed Hegseth. Mullin dismissed concerns about him, particularly his personal life, as political theater.

"It's all for show," Mullin said.

ACCOUNTABILITY IS COMING

Hegseth's opening remarks, praising Trump, were repeatedly interrupted by protesters. He vowed to restore a "warrior culture" to the US military and said accountability was coming for those who fall short.

"Everyone from the top, from the most senior general to the most lowly private, (we) will ensure that they're treated fairly," Hegseth said.

When asked about remarks opposing women in combat, Hegseth cited the need to eliminate quotas for frontline roles. Gillibrand fired back that no such quotas exist.

During the hearing he told Ernst, herself a veteran, that he would support women in combat "given the standards remain high, and we will have a review to ensure the standards have not been eroded."

Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth, a veteran who lost both legs during combat in Iraq, chided Hegseth over gaps in his knowledge of foreign policy and lack of management experience.

"You say you care about keeping our armed forces strong ... then let's not lower the standards for you. You sir, are a no-go at this station," Duckworth said.

In a 2021 incident first reported by Reuters, Hegseth was branded an "insider threat" by a fellow member of the Army National Guard over his tattoos. Hegseth noted the incident during the hearing, which led him to be pulled from Guard duty in Washington during Biden's inauguration.

In recent weeks, Trump's party has coalesced around his pick.

Still, the slim Republican Senate majority means that Hegseth can lose support from no more than three senators to be confirmed, if Democrats and independents unite against him.

Cabinet nominees almost never lose Senate votes. The last nominee who was defeated was former Senator John Tower, a nominee to be Secretary of Defense, in 1989. Tower was investigated over claims of drunkenness and inappropriate behavior with women.

If confirmed, Hegseth could make good on Trump's promises to rid the military of generals he accuses of pursuing progressive diversity policies.

The next secretary of defense faces huge challenges, including active conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza and the expansion of China's military, which received only glancing attention during a hearing focused far more on culture war issues.

The committee is expected to vote on Hegseth's nomination as soon as Monday, the day of Trump's inauguration, paving the way for his consideration by the full Senate.