'Stay Vigilant, Exercise Due Caution': Indian Mission Advises UK Travellers Amid Widespread Rioting

The High Commission in London on Tuesday issued an urgent advisory for Indian travellers in the wake of rioting across the United Kingdom, which has resulted in widespread damage and nearly 400 arrests.

With disturbances affecting several areas, the advisory urged visitors to remain vigilant, stay updated with local news, and avoid regions experiencing unrest. The Indian mission said it was closely monitoring the situation and was available for assistance in case of emergencies.

‘Stay vigilant and exercise caution’

“Indian travelers would be aware of recent disturbances in some parts of the United Kingdom. The High Commission of India in London is closely monitoring the situation. Visitors from India are advised to stay vigilant and exercise due caution while travelling in the UK. It is advisable to follow local news and advisories issued by local security agencies, and to avoid areas where protests are underway,” the Indian mission said in the advisory.

Keir Starmer

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said violent protesters who had targeted Muslim communities would swiftly face the “full force of the law” as he sought to quell days of anti-immigration rioting. The fatal stabbing of three young girls in the northwest English town of Southport last week has been seized on by anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim groups, with disinformation spread online and amplified by high-profile far-right figures to spark disorder in towns and cities.

“Whatever the apparent motivation, this is not protest, it is pure violence and we will not tolerate attacks on mosques or our Muslim communities,” Starmer said on Monday after an emergency meeting with police and prison chiefs. “The full force of law will be visited on all those who are identified as having taken part.”

Police chiefs said they had arrested 378 people since the start of the unrest and warned of “lengthy prison terms” for those found guilty of violent disorder.

Violence, social media posts

The violence erupted last Tuesday after social media posts said the suspected attacker in Southport was a radical Islamist who had just arrived in Britain and was known to intelligence services. Police say the 17-year-old suspect was born in Britain and they are not treating it as a terrorist incident. The suspect’s parents had moved to Britain from Rwanda.

Interior minister Yvette Cooper said rioters had felt “emboldened … to stir up racial hatred” and that the protests were not a proportionate response to concerns about near-record levels of immigration. “Reasonable people … do not pick up bricks and throw them at the police,” she said.

Protests, mostly involving a few hundred people, have continued across the country, with shops looted and mosques attacked. Cars have been set on fire and some unverified videos on social media have shown ethnic minorities being beaten up. Besides India, Australia and Nigeria were among the countries to issue warnings on Monday to citizens resident in or travelling to Britain.

On Monday evening, protests spread to Plymouth in southwest England. Several hundred anti-immigration protesters wearing English and British flags faced off against a greater number of counter-protesters, kept apart by police in riot gear.

Protesters threw bricks and fireworks and scuffled with police. Sky News said three police officers were injured. In Rotherham, northern England, protesters on Sunday tried to break into a hotel that housed asylum seekers in what Starmer called an act of “far-right thuggery”, following protests on Saturday in other English cities and in Belfast.

(With agency inputs)

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