The UK Government has called an emergency meeting on Monday to address the strong far-right and anti-immigration protests recorded over the weekend in several cities, which have resulted in more than 150 arrests so far.

This meeting, known as ‘Cobra’ because of the room in which such Cabinet meetings take place, will take place after six days of escalating violence following the fatal stabbing of three girls in Southport last week. These meetings bring together ministers, civil servants, police, intelligence officers and other senior officials responsible for the issues being investigated.

The meeting on Monday is intended to provide the government with updated information on the violence that took place over the weekend and will facilitate a response from the authorities in the coming days, according to the BBC.

The first Minister, Keir Starmerhas condemned the attack on a hotel housing asylum seekers in the town of Rotherham and vowed that those involved will face the “full force of the law”. Police have had to respond to similar scenes in Tamworth, Middlesbrough, Hull and elsewhere in the country.

“People in this country have a right to be safe and yet we have seen Muslim communities targeted, mosques attacked,” said the Prime Minister, who deplored “far-right bullying” and “gratuitous violence coupled with racist rhetoric.”

The Interior Ministry has offered mosques greater protection and has made available to them the possibility of requesting a security deployment to allow safe access to these temples as soon as possible.