‘Exercise caution’: India advises nationals travelling to UK as violent riots grip nation

The High Commission of India in London on Tuesday issued an advisory to Indian nationals travelling to the UK to “exercise caution and stay vigilant” amid violent protests across the nation fuelled by the fatal stabbing of three girls last week in the northwest English town of Southport.

In its advisory, the mission said it was “closely monitoring the situation” in the wake of the riots, while urging Indian nationals to “follow local news and advisories issued by local security agencies, and to avoid areas where protests are underway”.

British authorities are struggling to contain violent protests that erupted a week ago after a knife attack killed three girls at a children’s dance class in Southport.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has attributed the unrest to far-right agitators and the spread of disinformation on social media, vowing “swift criminal sanctions” against those responsible for the violence.

According to the BBC, nearly 400 people have been arrested since the violence began, with some of those charged appearing in magistrates’ courts on Monday in cities including Liverpool, South Tyneside, and Hull.

The violence first broke out hours after residents held a vigil for the victims of the dance class attack. An angry crowd then targeted Southport’s mosque, driven by false rumours that the suspect was a Muslim asylum seeker. The unrest has since escalated, with mobs attacking hotels housing asylum seekers and several mosques.

Unrest also flared in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Monday evening, where a supermarket was set on fire, and police faced petrol bombs and stone-throwing rioters, the BBC reported.