British Ambassador: Disturbances in UK 'totally unacceptable'

British Ambassador to the Philippines Stephen Lillie said on Wednesday the disturbances in London and other parts of the United Kingdom are "totally unacceptable." In a press statement, Lillie said "The Prime Minister has condemned the scenes of criminality and has vowed to do everything necessary to restore order to Britain’s streets and to make them safe for the law abiding." The rioting and looting in London were sparked by the death of a 29-year old civilian who was shot by the police. The statement said, "There have been no reports that any Filipino has been involved or injured in the incident." However, earlier on Wednesday, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said a Filipino was hurt in Birmingham in the United Kingdom where rioting and looting have been going on in the past few days. In an interview with GMA News Online, DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez said the Filipino, who refused to be identified, had injuries and bleeding on some parts of his face. However, there are conflicting reports as to the identity of the Filipino victim in riots in UK. Hernandez said the victim is male while GMA's UK stringer Bernadette Fernandez said the injured person is a woman. Will face consequences In the statement on Wednesday, Lillie said "Those responsible for the violence and looting will be made to face the consequences of their actions. At least 70 people have already been charged in London. Over 500 arrests were made yesterday." Lillie said UK authorities are doing their best to ensure the public's safety. "London’s boroughs have been leading on the clear-up of the damage caused to their communities. Councils have also been providing assistance to families and businesses who have been forced out of their homes and premises," Lillie said. "Across the capital boroughs are working to ensure any affected services are re-located and are open to residents. Going forward, councils will be working closely with residents and other partners to repair both the superficial and the deeper-rooted damage done to the affected communities," he added. Sickening scenes On Tuesday, British Prime Minister David Cameron described the looting and rioting in London as "sickening." "Let me, first of all, completely condemn the scenes that we have seen on our television screens and people have witnessed in their communities. These are sickening scenes – scenes of people looting, vandalising, thieving, robbing, scenes of people attacking police officers and even attacking fire crews as they’re trying to put out fires," Cameron said, according to a statement of the British Embassy in Manila. “People should be in no doubt that we will do everything necessary to restore order to Britain’s streets and to make them safe for the law abiding," Cameron said. He said the incident is an act of "criminality pure and simple and it has to be confronted and defeated." Alert Level 1 Meanwhile, the Philippine DFA placed the UK under Alert Level 1 after a Filipino was reported hurt. The Philippine Embassy in London also urged the Filipino community to be vigilant in light of the riots that occurred around London and in other UK cities over the past days. “All Filipinos should stay away from high street areas to avoid large gatherings, from going to places of riots, or from getting involved in any public disturbance," said Charge d’Affaires Reynaldo A. Catapang. The embassy said it may be contacted at the following numbers: 0207451780 07802790695 07809737672 07542095133 07553203793 07817479313 - VVP, GMA News