King Charles has thanked the emergency services for “restoring peace” in a phone call with Keir Starmer, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.
The King, 75, expressed his “heartfelt thanks” to the emergency services in phone calls with the Prime Minister and police chiefs on Friday evening.
Charles praised their efforts to “restore peace” and shared how he had been “greatly encouraged by the many examples of community spirit that had countered the aggression and criminality”, a Buckingham Palace spokesman has said.
Mass protests have occurred in England, Wales and Northern Ireland since July 30, 2024.
They followed a mass stabbing in Southport on July 29, in which three children were killed.
The attacker was falsely alleged on social media to be a Muslim and/or an asylum seeker.
The riots, which have been largely anti-immigration focused, have been the worst disorder in the UK since the 2011 London riots.
On July 30, the protests began in Southport where rioters attacked police officers, burned a police van, and attacked the mosque.
People pictured protesting in Sunderland city centre following the stabbing attacks in Southport
PA
Over 50 officers were injured and three police dogs were wounded.
The following days saw the unrest spread to other cities in England, and also to Belfast in Northern Ireland.
On July 31, over 100 protesters were arrested in London and demonstrations occurred in Manchester, Hartlepool and Aldershot.
On August 2, rioting took place in Sunderland, where a police station was set on fire, three police officers were injured, and several people were arrested.
Getty
Since August 3, rioters have clashed with police and counter-protesters, attacked homes and businesses owned by immigrants, and attacked hotels housing asylum seekers.
On August 7, anti-racist rallies gathered and considerably outnumbered the anti-immigration protesters.
After the Southport riot, Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote that those who had “hijacked the vigil for the victims” had “insulted the community as it grieves”.
He added that rioters would feel the full force of the law.
