Political leaders have been ‘extremely clear in condemning everything that we have seen’
Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said the response from party leaders and ministers has been “extremely clear in condemning everything that we have seen”.
“There are no dissenting voices on this,” he said at a press conference on Thursday.
He said that Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson had been criticised on social media for condemning the actions of recent days as “racism”. “The people who protested about what happened to this poor victim on Monday, they did lawful protest.
“The people who are threatening families, who are different to them, who are law abiding members of our community, that is racism and it’s criminality, and there’s no place for it in our society. History has shown us here more than anywhere, what happens when communities fracture.
“We, of all, people, should have learned from that, and we have. So let’s not stand for this nonsense any longer.”
Asked to elaborate, he said he can see “no other reason” for people to focus on targeting families “from ethnic and diverse backgrounds”.
“What’s your characterisation of that, for those crimes and what they’re committing? Are you saying that’s not racist, because that’s interesting. It’s racist, and we all know it, and you know it, so let’s not call it anything else, and let’s deal with it.”