Canada updates travel advisory for U.K., warns of violent protests & crime

This story was updated on Thursday, August 8 at 10:42 a.m. EST

The Canadian government is advising residents to exercise caution if visiting the United Kingdom due to ongoing demonstrations and violent clashes between protesters and law enforcement.

Canada’s travel advice for the U.K. was updated on Wednesday (Aug. 7) to a heightened risk level “due to the threat of terrorism.”

“Demonstrations take place regularly. Even peaceful demonstrations can turn violent at any time,” the government wrote on its travel page. “Past violent clashes between protestors and security forces have resulted in assaults, riots, looting and vandalism. Protests can deteriorate quickly. They can also lead to disruptions to traffic and public transportation.”

Past terror-related incidents have occurred mainly in the London area, but have also happened elsewhere, the notice goes on to say.

“Further attacks in the United Kingdom are likely,” the advisory reads, noting government buildings, schools, places of worship, airports and transportation hubs, tourist attractions, restaurants, bars, coffee shops, shopping centres, markets, hotels and other sites frequented by foreigners as possible targets.

Protestors & police clash

Violence between protesters and local police began after a knife attack that killed three girls between six and nine on July 29 in Southport, a town north of Liverpool. Eight other children and two adults were also injured during the incident.

According to the Associated Press, police detained a 17-year-old suspect. Rumours circulating on social media claimed the suspect was an asylum-seeker or a Muslim immigrant (this was later debunked, reports say)

Still, the incident led to hundreds of protesters attacking a local mosque with bricks, bottles and rocks. The rioters were believed to be supporters of the English Defence League, said local police. This is far-right group that has organized anti-Muslim protests since 2009.

Since then, hundreds of protesters have been arrested, AP reports. The U.K. government has asserted that rioters will feel “the full force of the law” after throwing bricks and other objects at police, looting shops and attacking hotels used to house asylum-seekers.

“Britain is open for business”

PAX reached out to Cathy Stapells, director Canada at VisitBritain, for a comment on the situation. 

“Britain is open for business, demand for travel to Britain remains strong and we continue to welcome many millions of visitors from all over the world,” Stapells wrote in an email. “We are working closely with our overseas teams to monitor travel sentiment across our markets and to ensure our trade partners have the latest information available, as necessary.” 

UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves was in Toronto on Wednesday (Aug. 7). In an interview with CTV News, the senior cabinet minister said the U.K. was safe to visit, saying that the people who have caused disorder in recent days “don’t represent Britain.”

Cities and towns across the U.K., including London, Manchester, Bristol and Nottingham, have been impacted by the unrest. Local police were preparing for a night of violence at as many as 100 locations yesterday. 

“There’s no justification or reason for this sort of disturbance. Many of them are travelling from town to town, indulging in criminal and thuggish behaviour. I’m not going to justify it. They can’t justify it,” Reeves said. 

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