[Source: Reuters]

King Charles called for mutual respect and understanding after racist riots that targeted Muslims and migrants in Britain, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said on Friday, marking the first intervention by the monarch since the unrest began last week.

The king thanked police and emergency services for their efforts to restore peace and welcomed the way that community groups had countered “the aggression and criminality from a few,” the spokesperson said.

“It remains His Majesty’s hope that shared values of mutual respect and understanding will continue to strengthen and unite the nation,” the spokesperson said after Charles talked by telephone with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and police chiefs.

Charles set up a charity, the Princes Trust, in the 1970s which has helped a million young people to find work or create community projects and it has continued to operate – including in locations hit by the riots – since his coronation.

Thousands of specialised police officers are due to remain on duty this weekend in case the rioting resumes after three days of calm.

The riots broke out after online posts falsely identified the suspected killer of three young girls in a knife attack on July 29 in Southport, northwest England, as an Islamist migrant.

The government is considering tougher regulations for social media companies.

After days of rioting that targeted Muslims and hotels housing migrants, Starmer said extra police numbers and swift justice had deterred people he referred to as “far-right thugs”.

For a third day in a row, anti-racist demonstrators far outnumbered anti-immigrant protesters in several locations.

“I work with people of different origins and they have only been kind to me – we are all equals,” said Emilia Finch, 22, speaking outside a hotel in Crawley, southern England, where asylum seekers are housed.

“There is no reason why anyone should be treated any different for their skin colour.”