Mark Rowley of the Metropolitan Police was asked about the “two-tier policing” of the recent riots

Britain’s top police official snatched a reporter’s microphone after being questioned about double standards in policing immigration riots in the UK.

Sir Mark Rowley, of the Metropolitan Police Service, had just emerged from a government meeting in Westminster on how to deal with the unrest when journalists approached him on Monday.

“Are we going to end two-tier policing, sir?” a Sky News reporter asked. Rowley responded by destroying his recording equipment and continuing to walk to his car. He did not take questions from the press.

Sky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt described Rowley’s actions as “petulant, even childish” response to a “perfectly legitimate” question.

“It was a storm in a teacup, but perception is everything,” Brunt said, adding that Rowley’s explanation that he was in a hurry was “mitigation, not a defense.”

While the Sky reporter could have pressed charges for assault, criminal damage or misconduct in public office, he reportedly chose to give Rowley a chance.

BREAKING NEWS: Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley was seen leaving the Cabinet Office in Westminster. As he left, he was asked about two-tier policing, but Sir Mark grabbed the journalist’s microphone and dropped it on the floor.https://t.co/sSlOq3trXp photo.twitter.com/tbcyehnADf

— Sky News (@SkyNews) August 5, 2024

Dozens of British cities and towns have seen protests and riots since last Monday, when a British teenager of Rwandan descent killed three children and injured 10 others in a mass stabbing in Southport, near Liverpool. While the initial outrage was sparked by a rumor that misidentified the perpetrator as a Muslim, the demonstrations have since morphed into a broader backlash against mass immigration, Islam and the perception that the UK authorities are more concerned with suppressing domestic dissent than combating immigrant crime.

More than 150 people were arrested on Saturday over riots in Liverpool, Manchester, Stoke, Leeds and other cities. Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed that protesters “face the full force of the law.”

The Whitehall crackdown prompted Reform Party leader Nigel Farage to suggest there was “the impression of two-tier policing”, compared to the 2020 Black Lives Matter riots related to the death of George Floyd in the US.

“There is no two-tier policing. There is policing without fear or favor, exactly as it should be,” Starmer responded. “Then that’s not a problem.”

According to Starmer, a “standing army of specialist officers” will be mobilized to deal with the riots. “This is not protest – this is pure violence and we will not tolerate attacks on mosques or our Muslim communities,” he added.

The British government also said it would “hold accountable” social media companies that don’t remove “misinformation.”