LONDON: Over 1,000 people have been arrested and nearly 600 charged in connection with the far-right riots that broke out across the United Kingdom (UK) following a stabbing incident in Southport on July 29, Anadolu Agency reported.

A flood of charges has emerged in Britain as authorities responded to violent unrest fuelled by false online claims that the suspect who stabbed three children to death in Southport was a Muslim asylum seeker.

The attacker, Axel Rudakubana, a 17-year-old from Cardiff with Rwandan parents, was hardly able to deter the far-right mob.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has assured those involved of swift justice and the National Council of Police Chiefs expects the number of arrests and charges to continue to rise as investigations continue.

On August 7, three men became the first to be jailed for their involvement in the riots in Southport and Liverpool. Prosecutors warned that these cases were just “the tip of the iceberg” as the crackdown on rioters continued.

Julie Sweeney, 53, was sentenced to 15 months in prison on August 16 for posting inflammatory messages on Facebook, including a post that read: “Blow up the mosque with the adults in it.” Judge Steven Everett criticized Sweeney’s online behavior, saying that “keyboard warriors” must be held accountable for their language, especially amid ongoing unrest in the country.

Sweeney follows Jordan Parlour, who was sentenced to 20 months in prison last week for calling for attacks on a hotel housing asylum seekers. Parlour, along with Tyler Kay, who was also jailed for similar posts, are among the first to be jailed for social media activity linked to the far-right unrest.

Reece Greenwood, 31, who broadcast racist abuse live during the Sunderland riots, has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for violent disorder.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper warned that “keyboard warriors” cannot escape prosecution and face “severe penalties”. Starmer echoed this sentiment, reminding social media users that online platforms are not “lawless zones”.

A 12-year-old boy is the youngest person to be charged in connection with the riots. He appeared at Liverpool Youth Court on Monday and pleaded guilty to violent disorder in Merseyside. A 14-year-old boy is also facing charges in connection with the riots in Whitehall last month.

According to the sentencing guidelines, the maximum sentence for violent disorder is five years, and for sedition the maximum sentence is ten years.

On August 4, Prime Minister Starmer condemned the unrest as “right-wing extremist violence” and warned that those involved in the violence would “regret” their actions. – Bernama, Anadolu