Editorial 07 August 2024.
Wednesday’s front pages continue their coverage of the ongoing riots across towns and cities in England and Northern Ireland. Police are preparing for another day of disorder on Wednesday after an online list of places to target – hotels housing immigrants and immigration centres – leaked online. Extra police have been deployed to protect the country following the destruction of businesses, buildings, and cars as well as looting from the rioters.
Many of the newspapers also report on those arrested suggesting ‘judgement day is here’. The front pages say the rioters are starting to face court now and could be charged with domestic terrorism.
The front pages also feature pictures of the latest action from Paris 2024 – with Team GB’s medal success dominant. The back pages continue the coverage.
‘More than 40 riots expected today’
The Sun says ‘40 protests are expected today’ and blames social media for allowing lies to ‘incite violence on our streets.’ The front page says whilst the tech giants rake in profits ‘the rest of us are left to count the cost.’ It adds burnt-out buildings, terrified communities and vicious attacks on cops are amongst the price the rest of us are paying.
The Daily Mirror reports that children as young as 11 have been involved in the violence across the country. The front page reports that 2,000 extra cops are braced for up to 30 ‘flashpoints’ across the country. There’s also a headline around the ongoing spat between the prime minister and American billionaire Elon Musk as he branded the PM as “two-tier” over riot policing, “suggesting police were treating far-Right protesters more harshly than Muslims.” The front page looks at the potential prison sentences the rioters are facing, with the headline “10 years hard labour.”
The Times also reports on police bracing for another stressful day – as they monitor reports of at least 30 possible gatherings. The paper says more than 6,000 riot police are on standby after locations across the UK were shared on social media.
The Daily Express leads on Nigel Farage. The Reform UK leader warns the country is at a “perilous point” after the riots and urges the prime minister to “act on ‘dissatisfaction’ over mass immigration.”
The Metro calls it “Judgement day” as the first of those to be convicted for their roles in the violence make the splash. The paper says self-employed builder Joshua Simpson who pleaded guilty to his part in rioting outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham – admitted assaulting an emergency worker. The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has promised “swift justice” for offenders, the paper says.
The Daily Telegraph focuses on the Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson who said anybody involved in the violence across the UK should know they will face the most severe possible criminal charges, including terrorism.
The Guardian says immigration lawyers are “at risk” amid far-right threats to target advice centres. More than 2,200 extra riot officers have been deployed as a list of 60 immigration centres circulated online suggesting they could be the target of violence.