Far-right attacks should be seen as terrorism, says ex-police chief

Call for fierce crackdown comes amid fears of new unrest targeting lawyers

- Vikram Dodd , Emine Sinmaz , Neha Gohil

The worst of the far-right violence seen in Britain this weekend should be treated as terrorism, a leading former police chief has said amid warnings over a new wave of unrest targeting migration lawyers.

Police have made 378 arrests since the violence broke out last week, with rioters setting fire to a library, looting shops and storming hotels housing asylum seekers.

A far-right-led mob tried to set fire to the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham on Sunday while people were inside. Some masked rioters hurled pieces of wood, bottles and chairs, and sprayed fire extinguishers at police, 12 of whom were injured.

Neil Basu, Britain's former head of counter-terrorism, said he believed the attack should be treated as an act of terrorism as he condemned the rioters as "bullies and cowards".

He told the Guardian: "Trying to set ablaze a building with people inside whom you have made clear you detest, is an act of violence against people and property with a racial cause designed to intimidate a section of the public - be it Muslims or asylum seekers.

"Not only does it fit the definition of terrorism - it is terrorism.

It's nothing short of an attempt at a modern-day lynching and the people who did it should be facing life imprisonment, not a five-year sentence for violent disorder." Basu's comments came as:

◆ Australia, Nigeria, Malaysia and Indonesia issued travel alerts to their nationals living in or visiting the UK, warning them to stay away from demonstrations.

Amanda Pritchard, the chief executive of NHS England, warned that the riots had made many of the health service's multicultural workforce feel "afraid and unwelcome".

● Ministers announced plans to introduce more than 500 new prison places over the next month to help cope with an influx of accused rioters expected to be held on remand.