Several nations have issued safety warnings to their citizens in the UK after nearly a week of far-right riots and anti-immigration protests across the country.
Nigeria, Malaysia and Indonesia have all sent out alerts, advising their nationals either living in the UK or visiting the country to stay away from the disorder.
The first riot broke out near a mosque in Southporton Tuesday last week in the wake of a stabbing attack that left three young girls dead.
Misinformation shared online falsely claimed the suspect was a “Muslim immigrant”, while others wrongly claimed he was an asylum seeker who arrived in the UK by boat. He was later named as 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana – who was born in the UK to Rwandan parents.
However, riots have still taken place near other mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers.
The three countries that have issued safety alerts each have large Muslim populations.
Just over half of Nigeria’s approximately 220 million people are reported to be Muslim, while around 60% of the population of Malaysia and around 80% of the population of Indonesia are said to follow Islam.
A “travel alert” issued by Nigeria’s ministry of foreign affairs, based in the African country’s capital Abuja, states that there is “an increased risk of violence and disorder occasioned by the recent riots in the UK”, noting that “the violence has assumed dangerous proportions”.
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The alert continues: “Demonstrations by far-right and other extra-parliamentary groups in parts of the UK in recent weeks have been large, and in some instances unruly.”
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