UK riots: Politician's wife in court over 'set fire to hotels' post

Anti-racism protests resume on Saturday as organised crime squads scour social media in riot crackdown

Police watching an anti-racism protest in Newcastle Upon Tyne remain on high alert despite a calming of recent unrest in Britain. Getty Images

An English councillor's wife who allegedly called for asylum seeker accommodation to be set on fire has appeared in court, as more than 200 others faces charges in connection with UK race riots.

Lucy Connolly, 41, is charged with publishing written material to stir up racial hatred in a social media post on the day three children in the town of Southport were killed in a knife attack.

The killings led to days of far-right unrest after false rumours spread online that the suspect was an asylum seeker.

Anti-racism protests were taking place across Britain on Saturday, as King Charles III praised the “community spirit” that countered the violence.

Organised crime units are reviewing social media posts as Prime Minister Keir Starmer promises swift justice for those convicted in the unrest.

Prosecutors said they “continue to work around the clock”, with 224 people charged so far in connection with the UK's worst disorder since 2011.

It is alleged that Ms Connolly – whose husband Raymond Connolly is a Conservative councillor in West Northamptonshire – called for “mass deportation now” in a post on X.

She allegedly posted “set fire to all the [expletive] hotels” and wrote “if that makes me racist, so be it”. She did not enter a plea and was remanded in custody until her next court date on Monday.

Chris Haward, a spokesman on organised crime for the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said online offenders “will be dealt with in the same way as those physically present”.

“Anyone who has been a part of this appalling behaviour should be aware that we have specialist officers … monitoring content and working at pace to identify you,” he said.

Far-right riots in the UK – in pictures

Increased online policing has deepened the UK government's gulf with Elon Musk, the owner of X, who said free speech is under threat.

Mr Starmer told broadcasters on Friday that ministers are “going to have to look more broadly at social media after this disorder”.

The Prime Minister told police to remain on high alert for further unrest, after the violence calmed amid counter-protests during the week.

Rioters in England and Northern Ireland had thrown bottles, set fire to police cars, shouted racial slurs and threatened mosques and refugee accommodation during successive nights of unrest.

Saturday's latest counter-demonstrations coincide with the start of the English football season, but there were no immediate signs of crowd trouble.

Crowds gathered for anti-racism protests in cities including Newcastle, Liverpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Belfast on what campaigners called a day of action.

People carried signs reading ""stop the hate”, “united against racism” and “refugees welcome” in rallies that also featured some Palestine flags.

King Charles hopes that “shared values of mutual respect and understanding will continue to strengthen and unite the nation”, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said.

The monarch was “greatly encouraged by the many examples of community spirit that had countered the aggression and criminality from a few,” the spokesman said.

Tributes were meanwhile paid on Saturday to six-year-old Bebe King, one of the children who was killed in the Southport attack on July 29.

Her parents Lauren and Ben King said Bebe “was full of joy, light, and love, and she will always remain in our hearts as the sweet, kind, and spirited girl we adore”.

They said Bebe, along with Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, were “taken in an unimaginable act of violence that has left our hearts broken beyond repair”.

Bebe's sister Genie, nine, witnessed the attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class but managed to escape, her parents revealed.

Axel Rudakubana, 18, has been charged with the murder of the three girls. He is also charged with the attempted murder of 10 others.