Politics

The UK is in the grip of nationwide rioting over illegal immigrants

After three children were killed, false reports on social media said the killer was a Muslim asylum seeker who had arrived on a small boat. Incensed, Britons have taken to the streets, bricks in-hand

Justin Tallis/AFP

Riot police face protestors in Bristol, southern England, on August 3, 2024.

The UK is in the grip of nationwide rioting over illegal immigrants

Con Coughlin

last update on 06 Aug 2024

Britain’s new Labour government has only been in power for a month, but already it is facing a grave threat after far-right-inspired riots erupted throughout the country.

The unrest began in late July after the murder of three schoolchildren in a northern town. A British-born 17-year-old whose parents are Rwandan has been charged with their murders and ten counts of attempted murder.

While the motive remains unknown, the tragedy provoked a violent response in the normally tranquil town of Southport after false rumours spread on social media that the killer was a Muslim who had come to the UK illegally by boat, seeking asylum.

Even though these claims are palpably untrue, underlying tensions about the UK’s migrant crisis which last year saw 1.2 million people migrate to the UK. Although most did so legally, it has resulted in nationwide protests taking place.

At the time of writing, more than 400 people had been arrested over the riots, which are believed to have been inspired by right-wing activists.

Justin Tallis/AFP — A protester holding a piece of concrete walks towards riot police as clashes erupt in Bristol on August 3, 2024.

Police have struggled to maintain order as rioting broke out across main big cities and towns over the weekend, including place like Manchester, Liverpool, Belfast, and Nottingham.

Hotels and mosques

A major target for the rioters has been hotels used to temporarily house migrants who arrived in the UK illegally, typically after crossing the English Channel in rubber boats or by hiding in the back of lorries crossing from France.

Such hotels were attacked in towns including Rotherham, Tamworth and Middlesbrough, with several set on fire. Police and firefighters have been attacked, as rioters threw bricks and petrol bombs.

A major target for the rioters has been hotels used to temporarily house migrants who arrived in the UK illegally

In Tamworth, rioters targeted a hotel, while in Middlesbrough a mob targeted the homes of migrants. Several mosques have also been targeted, as have shops. Looting has been reported in multiple locations.

The Abdullah Quilliam Mosque in Liverpool was among those targeted after misinformation about the Southport attacks stoked a wave of Islamophobia.

Far-right agitators

The violence prompted UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to announce a "standing army" of specialist officers to deal with disturbances, adding that the far-right agitators would "regret their actions," and "face the full force of the law".

Belinda Jiao/Reuters — Officers stand near a police vehicle, as riots continue into the night in Liverpool, Britain, August 3, 2024.

Among those accused of provoking the unrest is Tommy Robinson, a renowned far-right activist whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. Last week he left the UK shortly before a court hearing and is currently holidaying in Cyprus.

Starmer is believed to have been referring to Robinson, 41, when he spoke of "overseas" activists inciting violence in his statement.

A fresh warrant has now been issued for Robinson's arrest after he failed to appear a hearing in a contempt of court case earlier last week.

The former head of the English Defence League, he has been described as a "neo-Nazi" with Islamophobic views. He is vehemently opposed to mass immigration and has had repeated run-ins with the law, including for mortgage fraud.

Through his social media accounts, he has certainly had impact on the rioting. Banned from Twitter in 2018, his account was reinstated after Elon Musk acquired the platform, now rebranded as X.

Starmer's unsteady start

The UK government has accused foreign state actors such as Russia of amplifying online disinformation about the suspect accused of the Southport attack but has yet to present evidence publicly.

Regardless, the unrest has brought Starmer's prime ministerial honeymoon period to an abrupt end after a landslide election victory in July. His approval ratings have fallen, say pollsters, citing his government's uncertain handling of the riots.

With uncontrolled immigration into the UK focus the chief grievance of the protesters (many of whom did not riot), Starmer's failure to provide a credible policy to deal with the issue has contributed to the collapse in his personal popularity.

The unrest has brought Keir Starmer's prime ministerial honeymoon period to an abrupt end after a landslide election victory in July

One of his first acts after taking power was to scrap the previous government's controversial policy of processing asylum applicants in Rwanda. Championed by former prime minister Rishi Sunak, this policy was designed to act as a deterrent.

Its abandonment has led to an upsurge in migrants making the dangerous crossing from France to England, forcing the UK government to accommodate them for years, while case officers work their way through the lengthy processing backlog.

Source of grievance

In 2023, the UK spent £4.3bn of taxpayers' money feeding and housing those seeking asylum. A briefing document from the UK's Parliament notes that "since 2021, net migration has risen sharply".

Hollie Adams/Reuters — damage to Holiday Inn Express hotel hotel after rioters attacked the building in Rotherham, Britain, August 5, 2024.

The backlash against the migration surge is not confined to the UK. There have been similar protests in countries such as France, Italy and Germany.

While the violent scenes taking place in Britain can be seen as being part of a wider phenomenon of anti-immigration protests sweeping across Europe, Starmer's failure to offer an effective policy to resolve the crisis is only making matters worse.

The backlash against the migration surge is not confined to the UK, with similar protests in France, Italy and Germany

Donna Jones, a prominent Conservative politician who serves as the police and crime commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, claimed "mass uncontrolled immigration" was one of the main causes of the disturbances, and likened the unrest to a "rebellion to illegal immigration."

To encounter such widespread violence so soon after taking office is clearly proving a challenge for Britain's new Labour government, whose response so far has been to concentrate on bringing those involved in the riots to justice.

There is also mounting speculation that the government will be forced to call on the British Army to restore order, although no requests for military assistance had yet been made by Downing Street at the time of writing.

For now, the UK government's main priority is to bring the nationwide rioting to an end, but so long as Starmer fails to provide a viable solution to the problem of mass illegal migration into the UK, the problem will not disappear, regardless of how many are arrested.

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