11-year-old arrested amid protests in the UK: “He didn’t get away with it”
An 11-year-old boy has become the youngest person arrested for his alleged “violent” involvement in protests that took place in the UK a month ago. The protests erupted after a man, the son of Rwandan parents, stabbed several children, killing three during a Taylor Swift-themed workshop in Southport.
In addition to the boy, 14 more people were detained by Cleveland police this past Wednesday. These arrests followed a series of raids aimed at apprehending individuals involved in the incidents, which led to damage to public property and the hospitalization of several police officers.
A spokesperson for the armed forces commented on the arrests, which have now surpassed 100 since the raids began—among them, some Twitter users who shared opinions deemed “hate speech” by the government. The spokesperson stated, “Teams of officers set out this morning to locate those believed to be involved in the disorder.” He added that those arrested ranged in age from 11 to 43. “We will provide a full update on today’s activity tomorrow.”
Moreover, it was noted that some of these cases could face harsher penalties, as videos were found on social media showing the suspects asking drivers passing through the protests if they were “white and English” before allowing them to proceed.
The arrests came a day after socialist Prime Minister Keir Starmer insisted that he would not allow “brainless thugs” to wreak havoc. He also warned criminals that “crime has consequences” during an important speech in the rose garden outside Number 10, comparing this summer’s protests to the 2011 London riots. The protests, not the murder of three children.
“Responding to those riots was difficult, but dealing with this summer’s unrest was much more challenging. In 2011, I had no doubt that the courts did what they had to do, but this time, to be honest with you, we really felt overwhelmed,” he said.
“Every day during that disorder, we had to check the exact number of prison spaces available and where they were, to ensure we could arrest, charge, and process people quickly. Those who threw stones, burned cars, and made threats thought the system was broken and believed they wouldn’t be arrested,” he concluded, adding that now they will learn “that crime has consequences.”
