PRIME Minister Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to give West Midlands Police his ‘full support’ in combating possible further unrest in Solihull after anti-immigration protests were met with counter demonstrations last week.
In dealing with his first major unfolding crisis since being elected, the prime minister visited Solihull today (Thursday, August 8) to meet with faith and law enforcement leaders in the region.
The Labour leader brought his justice secretary and Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood MP, along with him to meet with representatives from Solihull’s The Hub Mosque, the Hindu Council of Birmingham, and both the West Midlands Police chief constable, Craig Guildford, and Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster.
Between them, the PM and justice secretary described their discussions with leaders as ‘frank’, with ‘safety concerns’ and ‘anxiety’ punctuating them. A ‘strong sense of community’ was said to be evident throughout.
The Hub Mosque was central to discussions after being at the centre of unrest in Solihull last Sunday (August 4), when hundreds of people turned up to protect the religious building after fears of an attack from anti-immigration protesters.
There were fears the Hermitage Road Mosque would be attacked following an earlier anti-immigration protest in the town centre, however this was described as peaceful and it is not yet known whether those who protested outside the mosque were linked to the earlier protests.
Fortunately, the unrest at the mosque was dispersed calmly by police without any reported clashes or violence between the two groups.
Mr Starmer told the Observer: “The leaders’ main concern is the safety of their communities.
“We’ve been discussing how together we reassure our communities they will be safe. That’s our number one priority.
“We’re working with the police, we’re giving them our full support and coordinating this at a local and national level. It’s very important we do that.”
The justice secretary went on to issue a stern warning to those who choose to involve themselves in violent protests both locally and nationally.
Shabana Mahmood MP told the Observer: “The fact people have already been sentenced to prison shows if you get involved you’re going to face the consequences and the full force of the law. People hope that acts as a deterrent.”
The Lord Chancellor also believes the policing response in the region has given some confidence to local communities. “We need to make sure we keep that up,” she added.
