UK: Seven countries have issued warnings over travel to the UK in the wake of ongoing violent anti-immigration protests and riots.
So far, India, Australia, Nigeria, Malaysia, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates [UAE] and Nepal have sent out alerts to their nationals who are either living in or visiting the UK on holiday to stay away from the demonstrations, which began after three young girls were killed at a dance class in Southport on 30 July.
The killings triggered a wave of misinformation and false messaging on social media, which wrongly identified the suspected attacker as an Islamist migrant. As a result, far-right groups have begun leading riots targeting immigration law firms and asylum centres, as well as hotels housing migrants, leading anti-fascist protesters to organise counter demonstrations.
Police are currently bracing themselves for around 100 anti-Muslim riots and counter protests that are expected to take place tonight in major towns and cities across the UK.
In response, countries have been issuing warnings to their nationals about the potential safety risks linked to the demonstrations.
Malaysia was the first country to issue such a warning, with the High Commission of Malaysia in London posting the following message online: “Malaysians residing in or travelling to the United Kingdom are urged to stay away from protest areas, remain vigilant and follow the latest updates and guidance provided by local authorities.”
It also “strongly encouraged” people to register with it to “receive timely information and assistance”.
Meanwhile, the High Commission of India in London said that it was “closely monitoring” the situation in the UK and advised visitors from India to “stay vigilant and exercise due caution while travelling in the UK”.
Australians have been warned to exercise a “high degree of caution” by their government when travelling to the UK. In addition, it is urging nationals to “avoid areas where protests are occurring due to the potential for disruption and violence” and to “monitor the media for information and updates”.
The UAE embassy in the UK issued a similar warning, encouraging citizens to “exercise the highest level of caution” and to “take the necessary precautions”.
Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs highlighted “an increased risk of violence and disorder”, adding that the violence had “assumed dangerous proportions”.
The Indonesian embassy in London issued a warning to its own citizens in the UK, urging them to avoid large crowds and to be vigilant.
Furthermore, the embassy of Nepal, also based in London, urged Nepali citizens residing in the UK and visitors to “stay vigilant and take extra caution”, while advising them to “avoid crowded areas, large gatherings and those areas where the protests are underway”.
So far, around 400 people have been arrested in connection with the riots. The UK Government has pledged “swift action” against all law breakers, with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer saying that he would not tolerate “far-right thuggery” nor attacks on mosques and other Muslim communities.
After chairing his second emergency COBRA meeting with police chairs in consecutive days, the Prime Minister said that he expected “substantive sentencing” of rioters “within days”.
Following the riots and violent disorder over the weekend, UKHospitality, the trade body for hospitality in the UK, published a support hub for affected businesses and staff. The hub includes advice on: compensation for victims of criminal damage or loss during a riot; business activity having to stop as a result of riot activity; collaborating with local authorities, businesses and police; and wellbeing support for hospitality staff.
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, said: “It was heart-wrenching to see the awful scenes in some of our towns and high streets over the weekend, and to see hospitality businesses, workers and guests targeted and affected.
“This will have been an extraordinarily distressing time for those affected and there is an abundance of resources available to help, from business compensation and safety to wellbeing support, and we’ve collated that into one place for easy access.
“I hope that critical services like insurance providers and banks, as well as local authorities, will all be on an emergency footing to help those affected businesses swiftly, to ensure they can recover quickly,” she added.
In a statement, a spokesperson for VisitBritain, the UK’s national tourism agency, said that “demand for travel to Britain remains strong and we continue to welcome many millions of visitors from all over the world”. They added that they were “working closely with our overseas teams to monitor travel sentiment and to ensure international travel trade have the latest factual information available, as necessary”.
If the riots do continue, there are concerns that they could have a knock-on effect for sectors where properties usually accommodate foreign students or expatriates moving to the UK, such as student housing and build-to-rent [BTR].
International Hospitality Media [IHM] will continue to keep readers aware of the latest up-to-date information and warnings across our four portfolio websites: Urban Living News; Boutique Hotel News; ShortTermRentalz; and Serviced Apartment News.
