King Charles has called for mutual respect and understanding in the wake of racist riots targeting Muslims and migrants in Britain, marking his first public response since the unrest began last week. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson confirmed on Friday that the king expressed his gratitude to police and emergency services for their efforts to restore peace and praised community groups for countering “the aggression and criminality from a few.”
“It remains His Majesty’s hope that shared values of mutual respect and understanding will continue to strengthen and unite the nation,” the spokesperson said, following Charles’s phone conversations with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and police chiefs.
King Charles, who established the Prince’s Trust in the 1970s to help young people find work or create community projects, has continued to support the charity’s work in areas affected by the riots since his coronation.
In response to the unrest, thousands of specialized police officers are set to remain on duty this weekend to prevent a resurgence of violence after three days of relative calm. The riots initially erupted after false online posts identified the suspected killer of three young girls in a July 29 knife attack in Southport, northwest England, as an Islamist migrant. The government is now considering stricter regulations for social media companies.
Prime Minister Starmer credited the increase in police numbers and swift legal action for deterring further violence, referring to the rioters as “far-right thugs.” For the third consecutive day, anti-racist demonstrators outnumbered anti-immigrant protesters across multiple locations.
“I work with people of different origins and they have only been kind to me – we are all equals,” said Emilia Finch, 22, outside a hotel in Crawley, southern England, where asylum seekers are housed. “There is no reason why anyone should be treated any differently because of their skin color.”
Starmer highlighted the effectiveness of “significant sentences” issued quickly by courts, emphasizing that this approach serves as a deterrent to those considering further disorder. By Friday evening, 741 arrests had been made since the riots began, with 302 people charged. Among those sentenced, two individuals were jailed for inciting racial hatred through social media posts. Police warned that arrests would continue for months.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) announced that over 6,000 public order-trained officers would be on duty over the weekend. “It’s probably one of the strongest national policing responses that we’ve ever done, certainly in my career history,” said NPCC chairman Gavin Stephens.
While the exact number of potential anti-migrant demonstrations remains unclear, around 40 counterprotests are planned for Saturday, according to the group Stand Up to Racism.