MOSCOW: Sixty-two per cent of Britons support using the military to put an end to the riots that broke out last week after a deadly knife attack on children in Southport, a YouGov poll showed, according to Sputnik.
On Monday, UK Defence Secretary John Healey said that the government will not use the army to help deal with the unrest.
At the same time, 28 per cent of respondents opposed the idea of involving the army to suppress the wave of protests.
The report added that 52 per cent of Britons expressed the opinion that the police are doing a good job of dealing with riots, but the same percentage of respondents believe that their response to the unrest was not tough enough.
In addition, 64 per cent of respondents supported the use of tear gas against protesters, with 75 per cent being in favour of using water cannons and tasers, the report read on Tuesday.
The poll, which was conducted from August 5-6, and surveyed 2,114 people, also found that 72 per cent of Britons supported the idea of introducing a curfew.
Far-right protesters rallied against the influx of migrants across the country after unconfirmed reports suggested that the perpetrator in the deadly stabbing attack on a children’s dance club in Southport was a refugee. The attacker was later identified as a Welsh-born boy of Rwandan descent.
The attack occurred on July 29, resulting in the deaths of three children and injuries to several others. Police arrested the 17-year-old boy and charged him with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder.
The attack is not being treated as an act of terrorism.
