British PM condemns attack on asylum hotel as 'far-right thuggery' as violence flares across U.K.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday condemned what he described as "far-right thuggery" and said perpetrators would face the full force of the law after days of violent anti-immigration protests culminated in an attack on a hotel.

Violent protests have erupted in towns and cities in Britain after three girls were killed and 10 people were injured in a knife attack at a children's dance class in Southport, in northwest England,on Monday.

The girls' deaths were seized on by anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim groups as misinformation spread that the suspected attacker was an immigrant and a radical Islamist. Police have said the suspect was born in Britain and are not treating it as a terrorist incident.

The protests spread through cities across the U.K. on Saturday, including in Liverpool, Bristol, Manchester and Belfast, resulting in dozens of arrests as shops and businesses were vandalized and looted and several police officers were injured.

On Sunday, hundreds of anti-immigration protesters gathered by a hotel near Rotherham, northern England, which Britain's home secretarysaid was housing asylum seekers.

The protesters, many wearing masks or balaclavas, threw bricks at police and broke several hotel windows, a Reuters witness said, before setting nearby bins on fire and pushing them into the hotel.

"I utterly condemn the far-right thuggery we've seen this weekend," Starmer said in a statement, adding it was criminal violence and not legitimate protest. "Be in no doubt, those that have participated in this violence will face the full force of the law."

The National Police Chiefs' Council said that 147 people had been arrested since Saturday evening and more would follow in the coming days.

Starmer, who took office a month ago after his Labour Party won a decisive election victory over the long-ruling Conservatives, said residents and staff were in "absolute fear" from the "marauding gangs" in Rotherham.

Local police said that 10 officers were injured in Rotherham during confrontations with the crowd of 700 people, some of whom threw planks of wood and sprayed officers with fire extinguishers before smashing hotel windows.

One officer was knocked unconscious, and others had suspected broken or fractured bones, police said.

"The mindless actions of those today have achieved nothing other than sheer destruction and leaving members of the public and the wider community in fear," said Lindsey Butterfield, assistant chief constable at South Yorkshire Police.

Sunday's disorder was based in smaller towns in England than on Saturday, including the northwest towns of Lancaster and Bolton, as well as Aldershot, in southern England.

Police said they arrested 14 people after a march through Middlesbrough, in the northeast, resulted in "mindless violence" and a public warning to avoid the town centre.

Britain's Home Office said mosques would be offered extra security under new arrangements after threats were made against them.

The last time violent protests erupted across Britain was in 2011, when thousands of people took to the streets after police shot dead a Black man in London. Starmer was the country's chief prosecutor at thetime.

Community leaders and families of the victims killed in Southport, near Liverpool, have criticized the unrest.

"While this should be a time for quiet reflection and remembrance, since Monday, too many people have sought to use the tragedy to create division and hate," a group of faith leaders from Liverpool said in a joint statement.

"It can and has left communities in fear and has put people in danger."

WATCH | Police face violent crowd in Southport, England:

U.K. police face violent crowd in Southport

2 months ago

Duration 0:42

Warning: This video, which shows violent clashes Tuesday in the English seaside town of Southport, includes explicit language. Police say the violence is believed to be linked to supporters of the English Defence League, which espouses far-right, Islamophobic views.