The King praised ordinary Britons who stood up against far-right hatred following the Southport stabbings, praising the way “the aggression and criminality of a few” was met with “the compassion and resilience of the many”.
King Charles spoke warmly of the “numerous examples of community spirit” that have thwarted attempts to spread hatred and fear in communities across Britain during a call with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer tonight in the wake of the riots.
He also spoke to police chiefs about the strain their officers have been under as more than 100 are believed to have been injured trying to keep the peace amid hate riots fuelled online by the far right.
Charles, who is currently on holiday at his home in Birkhall, Scotland but has continued to work and has received daily updates on the recent unrest, is believed to have been monitoring events for several days.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said his calls with the Prime Minister and police leaders came after a series of “private calls throughout the week about recent events and in particular the impact they have had on the communities affected”.
King Charles has expressed his support for ordinary Britons who oppose the “aggression and criminality of the few with the compassion and resilience of the many”.
Thugs during a far-right anti-immigration protest in Rotherham on August 4
Thousands of people demonstrated against racism in Walthamstow, where far-right thugs were reportedly planning to gather outside an immigration office on Wednesday.
The King has praised the resilience of those who took to the streets to counter the racist and far-right hatred that spilled out onto the streets, created by online bile.
The monarch spoke to police chiefs and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (pictured, visiting Solihull on Thursday).
Although details of such calls are normally recorded in the court circular, the official record of royal engagements, it is unusual for such detail to be given and underlines the gravity of the national crisis.
The Palace spokesman continued: ‘This evening, the King held a telephone audience with the Prime Minister, and also had a joint call with the Chairman of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, and the UK’s Gold Commander, Ben Harrington, Chief Constable of Essex Police.
‘In these calls, His Majesty was updated on the current situation and expressed his sincere thanks to the police and emergency services for all they are doing to restore peace in those areas that have been affected by violent disorder.
‘Furthermore, the King shared how greatly encouraged they had been by the numerous examples of community spirit that had countered the aggression and criminality of a few with the compassion and resilience of many.
‘His Majesty remains hopeful that the shared values of mutual respect and understanding will continue to strengthen and unite the nation.’
Earlier this week, the Mail reported that Charles, 75, had been closely following developments but would not be speaking publicly given the extreme political discourse surrounding them.
However, he hopes to visit affected communities in the coming weeks and months to speak with police and local leaders.
Such a visit would only take place if it would not put an additional burden on frontline services at a time when they are so overstretched.
The King is also expected to address the issues more directly and express his concern for the affected communities once the circumstances are right.
While there were calls for the King to make a public statement, it has been noted that the late Queen decided not to make a public comment in the immediate aftermath of the 2011 riots.
As usual, the monarch only said something following advice from the government.
A man holding an England flag looks out at a large crowd of anti-racism protesters in Finchley on Wednesday.
A man wrapped in an England flag stands in front of police officers in Southampton as a large group of anti-racism protesters gather behind him on Wednesday.
Hundreds of anti-hate protesters gathered in Bristol to defeat hateful far-right thugs who planned to invade the city on Wednesday.
A large crowd of anti-racism protesters gathered in Walthamstow on Wednesday, outnumbering hateful thugs who planned to protest outside an immigration centre.
Thousands of people took to the streets in cities and towns across the country on Wednesday to repel hate mobs believed to be organizing more than 100 rallies, including more than 30 attacks on immigration centers and law firms.
Shocking and harrowing photographs showed huge gatherings of anti-racist protesters in Walthamstow, north London, as well as in Bristol, Brighton, Liverpool, Birmingham, Newcastle and many other places.
Plans to attack immigration-linked businesses and offices across the country circulated Wednesday in a far-right chat group on Telegram that has since been removed by the app’s notoriously reticent moderation team.
He said the channel broke one of Telegram’s few rules: the one that prohibits inciting violence.
But after the meetings failed to materialise or were outnumbered by anti-racism protesters, far-right figures attempted to walk back the fact that the protests even took place, claiming the whole thing had been a joke.
The far right had cynically exploited the deaths of three children in Southport on 29 July to pursue a racist hate agenda, allegedly sparked by false information online about the identity of the suspect in the attacks.
Six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar were stabbed at a Taylor Swift-themed camp in Southport on July 29.
Axel Rudakubana, 17, born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents, has been charged with three counts of murder, ten counts of attempted murder and possession of a knife.
The deaths sparked riots in Southport that later spread to Rotherham, Liverpool, Middlesbrough and Blackpool, and the seeds for further demonstrations were sown online by far-right hate figures on social media and group chats on the app Telegram.
Some of the far-right hate mobs have attacked mosques and asylum seeker accommodation, while others have indiscriminately burned and looted libraries and Citizens Advice offices.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said that as of yesterday afternoon 483 arrests had been made and that this number is “expected to continue to rise significantly”.
