UK riots live: Police deployed for 100 planned rallies tonight as businesses and law firms board up windows

 

More than 420 arrested and 140 charged as the UK braced for bigger police presence since deadly 2011 riots

Police are braced for more than 100 protests across the country tonight as far-right groups target immigration services, The Independent understands.

Officers are also expecting more than 30 counter protests, as 6,000 riot officers prepare for another evening of potential unrest.

A list of as many as 39 immigration law specialists’ offices, asylum support charities and immigration services is believed to have been widely circulated on social media over recent days, identifying their addresses as targets for far-right demonstrations today – alongside flame emojis and calls to “mask up”.

It comes as Derek Drummond, 58, of Pool Street, Southport, has been sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court to three years in prison after he admitted violent disorder and assaulting an emergency worker in Southport on July 30.

He is the first person to receive a substantial prison sentence for taking part in the violence that has rocked parts of the UK over the past week.

Earlier in the week, Sir Keir announced a “standing army” of 6,000 specialist police officers to quell the ongoing violence after eight days of unrest across England and in Northern Ireland– and amid fears of more on Wednesday.

Another 20 people were charged overnight, the Crown Prosecution Service said, bringing the total to more than 140, as police chiefs continued to warn rioters they could “expect a knock at the door”.

read more from source - https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/riots-uk-today-london-birmingham-protest-immigration-centre-b2592456.html