A top police officer in Birmingham has seemingly admitted that there is a “two-tier” approach from law enforcement towards different ethnicities in Britain, undercutting denials from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Following the emergence of “Muslim people” mobs in England as apparent counter to what’s called “far right” riots, with reports stating some carrying weapons in the Bordesley Green area of Birmingham on Monday, the police appeared to admit they have different standards for different races while trying to explain their failure to prevent the anarchic scenes.
When pressed as to why there was such little police presence during the incident, West Midlands Police Superintendent Emlyn Richards said: “We have really strong business and community relations and because we were aware through intelligence that there was a potential protest because of misinformation we had the opportunity to meet with community leaders, business leaders, prior to that event to understand the style of policing we needed to deliver.
“We knew there was going to be a large amount of people out on that counterprotest, and we knew who the vast majority of those people were. We had conversations what that was likely to look like.”
West Midlands Police discuss disorder that kicked off after misinformation spread online. The Sky News crew covering the unrest in Birmingham were followed by a man holding a knife and wearing a balaclava after broadcasting live. https://t.co/IRxFEabbZ6 pic.twitter.com/uiYkVX1TS5
— Sky News (@SkyNews) August 6, 2024
As to whether the police force would offer the same discretion to right-wing groups such as the now-defunct English Defence League, Richards merely said, “We policed in response to the intelligence that we receive at that moment in time.”
In response to the comments from the West Midlands Police, Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice said: “Police boss admitting they enabled and were complicit in letting marauding masked mob control Birmingham streets. Utterly shameful. Two-tier politics. Two-tier policing. Two-tier Keir.”
Fellow Reform MP Rupert Lowe added: “A remarkable interview on the Birmingham violent mob rampage. ‘Policed within themselves’. Why is one group seemingly policed in an incredibly different way to others? It clearly does NOT work. Two-tier policing is rife. That MUST urgently change.”
Birmingham tonight.
Pubs attacked.
This is a show of power.
Police absolutely nowhere in these clips.
The far right are being blamed, somehow.
They’re the issue, not these guys.
Terrifying times for our nation. pic.twitter.com/5zvRQMbfvy— Darren Grimes (@darrengrimes_) August 5, 2024
Amid the lack of police presence in Birmingham, hundreds of young Muslim men took to the streets on Monday in response to misinformation surrounding a potential “far-right” rally in the area.
During the gathering, several pedestrian vehicles were attacked as well as a pub, The Clumsy Swan in Yardley, by masked Muslim youths carrying weapons, the BBC reported.
The attack on the pub saw a 51-year-old man, Sean McDonagh, attacked and beaten by the young Muslim men leaving him with a “torn liver”.
Some members of the Muslim community issued an apology for the attack, saying “it was not a true reflection of who we are as a community.”
Elon Musk Dunks on ‘Two Tier Keir’ Starmer’s Response to Race Riots, Blasts British Gov’t for Censorshiphttps://t.co/52fdfvwFZN
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) August 7, 2024
Meanwhile, Metropolitan Police Chief Mark Rowley has suggested that terrorism charges could be applied to anti-mass migration rioters, a standard much harsher than that applied to riots from the far-left, Black Lives Matter, or other ethnic groups in the country.
Despite this, Prime Minister Starmer has consistently tried to claim that there is not a “two-tier” system in place for policing different communities.