UK deputy premier says 'no excuse' for thuggery on streets

By Zuhal Demirci

LONDON (AA) - Britain’s deputy prime minister said Wednesday that the police will respond to nearly 100 acts of violence planned by far-right extremists in London in the coming hours and that there will be "no excuse" for thuggery in the streets.

Such behavior does not reflect “British values," Angela Rayner told reporters after visiting a hotel where irregular migrants and asylum seekers are being held in Rotherham, which was attacked by far-right extremists on Sunday.

Stating that British police will be on the ground to respond to any acts of violence or crime planned for the evening, Rayner said that those who commit any criminal act will face the law.

Police sources reported that they were aware of nearly 100 far-right protests and 30 counter-demonstrations planned across the country this evening and that thousands of specialized police officers are on hand by to intervene.

The UK has been rocked by turmoil for days, with violent far-right rioters spewing racist and Islamophobic vitriol targeting Muslims, minority groups, and migrants.

The riots were fueled by false claims spread online that a suspect arrested for the July 29 fatal stabbing of three children in Southport was a Muslim asylum seeker.

Authorities have since identified the attacker as Axel Rudakubana, a 17-year-old born in Cardiff, Wales to Rwandan parents, but this has done little to deter the far-right mobs.