The Guardian – Far-right attacks should be seen as terrorism, says ex-police chief
The Guardian splashes on remarks from former head of Counter Terrorism Policing Neil Basu who believes the attack on the Holiday Inn Express hotel in Rotherham over the weekend should be treated as an act of terrorism as he condemns the rioters as “bullies and cowards”. The front page features a large image of Keely Hodgkinson – who won 800m gold for GB’s first athletics triumph in Paris.
Elsewhere, Guardian interviews back up a report by rights group B’Tselem, which says jails should now be labelled ‘torture camps’.
Worst far-right violence should be treated as terrorism, says ex-police chief
The worst of the far-right violence seen in England this weekend should be treated as terrorism, a prominent former police chief has said, amid warnings over a new wave of unrest targeting migration lawyers.
Police have made 378 arrests since the violence broke out last week, with rioters setting fire to a library, looting shops and storming hotels housing asylum seekers.
A far-right-led mob tried to set fire to the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham on Sunday while people were inside. Some masked rioters hurled pieces of wood, bottles and chairs, and sprayed fire extinguishers at police officers, 12 of whom were injured.
Keely Hodgkinson storms to 800m gold for GB’s first athletics triumph in Paris
Even when she knew Olympic 800m gold was assured, Keely Hodgkinson’s eyes kept flicking towards the giant screen in the Stade de France, checking for thieves lurking in the Paris night. This time, though, she would not be denied.
As the 22-year-old from Atherton crossed the line there was a sharp thump of the right fist. Then a roar that seemed to extinguish three years of pressure and expectations. And suddenly Britain’s first track and field medal of these Games was hers.
“The first thing you feel is relief, because you work so hard for these four days to go perfectly,” she said. “Then it’s just the excitement after finally something that I’ve had in my head for three years coming together nicely.”
Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
If you are someone who reads every perspective of a story, here is a news summary of all of today’s front pages from today’s newspapers; summarised in a 2-minute read
Editorial 06 August 2024.
Tuesday’s front pages lead heavily with two stories: the ongoing riots and violence across towns and cities in the UK and Team GB athlete Keely Hodgkison winning Gold at the Olympics.
Several of the papers cover the backlash facing American billionaire Elon Musk for his ‘reckless’ comments claiming that a civil war was ‘inevitable’ in the UK – even though it’s a small minority of far-right thugs and the majority of violence, racism and looting from them has been widely condemned across the political spectrum and the nation. Musk is among several online celebrities that have been accused of whipping up fear.
The back pages continue the Paris 2024 coverage.