What is behind the UK’s summer of discontent and riots?

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Rioters have looted shops, torched cars, targeted mosques, and even set fire to hotels housing asylum seekers. (Getty Images)
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​ Rioters have looted shops, torched cars, targeted mosques, and even set fire to hotels housing asylum seekers. (Getty Images) ​
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A police dog bites a protester in Bristol, England, on August 3, 2024 during the 'Enough is Enough' demonstration held in reaction to the fatal stabbings in Southport on July 29. (AFP)
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Updated 08 August 2024
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What is behind the UK’s summer of discontent and riots?

  • A mass stabbing in Stockport sparked nationwide disorder, fuelled by the far-right and white working class grievance
  • Social media, thuggery, and uncontrolled immigration have all been tapped as potential triggers for the violence

LONDON: Riots have gripped England and Northern Ireland over the past week amid a cloud of misinformation and perceived government failings. Commentators are divided, however, over the root causes beyond assertions of “far-right thuggery.”

Not since 2011, when the police shooting of a black man sparked days of nationwide riots, has the UK witnessed scenes of such violence, with crowds of people tearing through shops, torching cars, targeting mosques, and even setting fire to hotels hosting asylum seekers.

Everyone from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to the world’s second richest man, Elon Musk — who likened the scenes unfolding in the UK to a civil war — has weighed in on what caused the riots and what they might mean for the country.




Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech during a press conference following clashes after the Southport stabbing, at 10 Downing street in central London on August 1, 2024. (AFP)

Responding to the attempted arson on Sunday of a Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, where asylum seekers were being housed pending a decision on their status, Starmer said the rioters would face the “full force of the law.”

“I guarantee you’ll regret taking part in this disorder, whether directly or those whipping up this action online and then running away themselves,” he said at a press briefing. “This is not a protest, it is organized, violent thuggery and it has no place on our streets or online.”

Such has been the severity of the damage caused to communities and the number of injuries to police officers that the director of public prosecutions, Stephen Parkinson, has said some of those arrested could face charges of terrorism.




Riot police face far-right protesters in Bristol, England, on August 3, 2024 during the 'Enough is Enough' demonstration held in reaction to the fatal stabbings in Southport on July 29. (AFP)

Speaking to the BBC, Parkinson said: “Where you have organized groups planning activity for the purposes of advancing an ideology and planning really, really serious disruption, then yes, we will consider terrorism offenses.

“Yes, we are willing to look at terrorism offenses, and I am aware of at least one instance where that is happening.”




Rioters have looted shops, torched cars, targeted mosques, and even set fire to hotels housing asylum seekers. (Getty Images)

Sources who spoke to Arab News did not disagree with assertions that the violence was anything more than “violent thuggery.” However, they warned against dismissing the need to examine underlying societal issues.

One source, who works in education and asked not to be identified, said the disorder has come on the back of an election campaign that tapped into legitimate concerns by seeking to blame the country’s ills on the purported negative effects of mass immigration.

“Mix this with misinformation surrounding the identity of the murderer of girls which served as the riots’ catalyst, and what you are seeing is chickens coming home to roost,” the source said.

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An attack on a children’s dance and yoga workshop at a community center in Southport, north of Liverpool, on July 29, saw three girls killed and 10 other people — eight of whom are children — injured, allegedly by a 17-year-old.

Because of the suspect’s age, police were legally obliged to withhold his identity, inadvertently creating a vacuum that was quickly filled by false information circulated on social media that claimed the suspect was a Muslim who had arrived in the country illegally.

The spread of false information was not helped by the chiming in of online influencers who themselves regularly post anti-immigration, anti-Muslim sentiment to boost a political agenda.




Police officers detain a person for shouting racist comments during a counter-demonstration against an anti-immigration protest called by far-right activists, near the United Immigration Services offices at The Beacon in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, nEngland on Aug. 7, 2024. (AFP) 

Zouhir Al-Shimale, head of research at Valent Projects, a UK-based firm that uses artificial intelligence to combat disinformation, said identifying the root causes of the riots may prove difficult, as there has been a blend of deliberate manipulation by those pushing an anti-immigrant agenda and widespread bot activity.

“Since Aug. 3, accounts and networks linked to Reform UK have been massively active on X and Facebook with claims of two-tier policing,” Al-Shimale told Arab News, referring to a right-wing political party that made gains in the recent general election.




Protesters hold placards during a 'Enough is Enough' demonstration called by far-right activists near a hotel housing asylum seekers in Aldershot on August 4, 2024. (AFP)

“They are pouring a lot of resources into this to test certain lines and narratives and see what sticks, but essentially suggesting that the police are allowing Muslim thugs to run riot while they target ‘white patriots’ who are simply angry about the ‘state of their nation.’”

Suggestions of two-tier policing have focused on purported “soft handling” by police over “left-wing, pro-Palestine” marches that have occurred weekly in London since Oct. 7, and earlier Black Lives Matter rallies.




Counter-protesters gather in Bristol, southern England, on August 3, 2024 against the 'Enough is Enough' demonstration held in reaction to the fatal stabbings in Southport on July 29. (AFP)

Based on the scale of disorder alone, the comparison is a poor one. A recent pro-Palestine march of up to 10,000 people led to three police officers being injured. By contrast, the roughly 750 people who rioted in Rotherham on Sunday left at least 12 officers injured.

Opposition to the riots is near-universal across every section of the public, according to poll data from YouGov, with Reform UK voters being the only group showing any substantive levels of support, at 21 percent.

Even this is a clear minority, with three-quarters of Reform voters (76 percent) opposed to the riots. Support among other voters is far lower — only 9 percent of Conservatives, 3 percent of Labour voters and 1 percent of Liberal Democrats favor the disorder.

INNUMBERS

• 400 People arrested after six days of riots in parts of England and Northern Ireland.

• 6,000 Police officers mobilized nationwide to deal with further expected unrest.

Nevertheless, there are sympathies with the ideas that are fueling the riots and the far-right groups, like the English Defence League, which are thought to be orchestrating the violence.

Indeed, legal immigration to the UK has risen dramatically over the past 30 years, while illegal arrivals across the English Channel have continued despite the previous government’s pledge to “stop the boats.”

The latest estimates on migration from the Office for National Statistics suggest that in 2023, some 1.2 million people migrated into the UK while 532,000 people emigrated, leaving a net migration figure of 685,000.




Leader of Reform UK Nigel Farage stands in front of a van reading "Keir Starmer won't stop the boats" in reference to migrant crossings across the Channel during a campaign event in Blackpool, northwestern England, on June 20, 2024, in the build-up to the UK general election on July 4. (AFP/File)

Around 29,000 people were detected crossing the English Channel in small boats in 2023, down from 46,000 in 2022, although the overall number of small boat arrivals has increased substantially since 2018.

According to the University of Oxford’s Migration Observatory, the share of workers employed in the UK who were born abroad has steadily increased over the past two decades, rising from 9 percent of the employed workforce in the first quarter of 2004 (2.6 million) to 21 percent in the first quarter of 2024 (6.8 million).

It found that migrant men were more likely to be employed than UK-born men, but among women, migrants were less likely to be in employment.




A person holds a placard reading 'Stop Farage and his Nazi's' during a counter demonstration against an anti-immigration protest called by far-right activists, in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, north-east England on August 7, 2024. (AFP)

Although asylum seekers are not allowed to work, nor do they receive a house or substantial welfare payments while their applications are reviewed, a section of the public in the UK fears the needs of new arrivals are being placed ahead of their own, while the racial composition of their communities changes around them.

Despite this, voter behavior in the UK’s recent general election suggests immigration is not a priority issue for most. “A much better (though still imperfect) indicator is a national election,” Noah Carl, a sociologist and right-wing commentator, wrote in a recent piece for Aporia Magazine.

“Britain held one just a few weeks ago, and the results provide little basis for saying ‘the English’ have ‘had enough’ of mass immigration. Fifty-six percent of white people voted for left-wing or progressive parties, and another 26 percent voted for the Conservatives (a de-facto pro-migration party). Only 16 percent supported Reform.

“In fact, the share of white people supporting left-wing or progressive parties increased from 2019. I say this as someone with broadly restrictionist views.




Members of the local community help to clear debris from the streets in Middlesbrough, England on August 5, 2024, following rioting and looting the day before. (AFP)

“Now, you might claim the situation has changed since the election, owing to the rioting in Leeds, the stabbing in Southport and other incidents. But it hasn’t really changed.

“Before the most recent election, white British people had already been subjected to Islamist terrorism, grooming gangs, BLM riots, the ‘decolonization’ movement, accusations of ‘white privilege,’ etc. Yet they still chose to vote overwhelmingly for pro-migration parties.

“Although polling suggests most Britons do want immigration reduced, they apparently care more about issues like the cost of living, housing and the NHS.”

Many commentators have therefore placed much of the blame on social media platforms for acting as an accelerant for the violence, while rioters whipped up by misinformation seek to emulate the disorder seen elsewhere in the country and fed to their smartphones.

Some of the blame, however, may also rest with the pervading political discourse in the UK today.




People hold a banner reading "Refugees welcome" during a counter demonstration against an anti-immigration protest called by far-right activists in Birmingham, England, on August 7, 2024. (AFP)

Paul Reilly, senior lecturer in communications, media and democracy at the University of Glasgow, said one underlying cause may be the absence of accountability for social media platforms in allowing misinformation to spread. But he also pointed to another group.

“I would argue political commentators, influencers and politicians have played a key role in this by creating toxic political discourse around migration,” Reilly told Arab News.

“Social media platforms could do better on removing hate speech and misinformation. But they aren’t treated as publishers and held accountable for content they host. I would expect debate over temporary shutdowns of online platforms during civil unrest as a viable policy.”




A sign is tied onto a street pole ahead of an anti-immigration protest called by far-right activists in Westcliff, eastern England, on August 7, 2024. (AFP)

Nonetheless, Reilly has also challenged the assertion of Southport MP Patrick Hurley that the violence playing out was solely down to “lies and propaganda” spread on social media.

Instead, citing his research into social media’s role in political unrest in Northern Ireland, he says that while online platforms have been used to share rumors and misinformation, that have inflamed tensions, such online activity has tended to “follow rather than precede riots.”

Writing in The Conversation, he said: “If political leaders are serious about avoiding further violence, they should start by moderating their own language.”

However, he added: “It is expedient for politicians to blame online platforms rather than acknowledge their role in producing a toxic political discourse in relation to asylum seekers and immigration.”




People hold pro-refugee, anti-racist placards as they attend a counter demonstration against an anti-immigration protest called by far-right activists in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England on August 7, 2024. (AFP)

One legal researcher, who asked not to be named, told Arab News the riots were a symptom of failures to address widening wealth inequalities, which had created a space for misinformation to spread.

“It is simply a replication of what we have seen time and time again with the cutting of public services. Amid an absence of government accountability, the population will look for someone to blame,” the person said.

“If there’s one bright spark, those coming out to clean up after the rioters seem to represent a far higher portion of the affected communities, indicating that for a government who cares, there is still buy-in for a better tomorrow.”
 

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Kyiv targeted in massive Russian drone barrage overnight

Updated 6 sec ago
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Kyiv targeted in massive Russian drone barrage overnight

  • Russia has systematically targeted the Ukrainian capital with drone and missile barrages
  • Kyiv was targeted by drone attacks on six days in the first week of November and 20 days in October
KYIV: Kyiv was targeted by another “massive” Russian drone attack that wounded two people, damaged buildings and sparked fires in several districts, Ukrainian authorities said Thursday.
Officials meanwhile in the south and east of the country said Russian attacks had killed two Ukrainian civilians in Kherson and Sumy.
Russia has systematically targeted the capital with drone and missile barrages since the first day of its invasion launched nearly three years ago on Febr. 24, 2022.
The capital was targeted by drone attacks on six days in the first week of November and 20 days in October, officials said.
“The attack took place in waves, from different directions, with drones entering the city at different altitudes — both very low and high,” the city administration said.
It added that more than 36 drones had been downed over the capital and the surrounding area and that falling debris had fallen on six districts of Kyiv and wounded two people.
AFP journalists heard air raid sirens ring out over the capital beginning shortly after midnight Kyiv time and the alert lasted some eight hours.
The reporters also heard drones buzzing over the city and air defense systems working to shoot down the drones.
The attack caused a fire in a 30-story residential building in the city center, and residents had to be evacuated, the mayor’s office said.
The head of the Kherson region meanwhile said the body of a deceased man was recovered from the rubble of a house destroyed by the attack in a Russian attack overnight.
In the eastern Sumy region, the body of another killed person was recovered following a Russian airstrike hours earlier, the interior ministry said.

Joe Biden set to address nation after Donald Trump’s decisive US election win

Updated 8 min 22 sec ago
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Joe Biden set to address nation after Donald Trump’s decisive US election win

  • Biden was replaced as the Democrats’ candidate by Kamala Harris due to concerns about his mental acuity
  • Former President Trump’s victory underscored how disenchanted Americans had become with the economy

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden was set to address the nation on Thursday after a stinging election defeat for his Democratic Party at the hands of Republican Donald Trump, whose stunning political comeback has reverberated around the world. Biden, who was replaced in July as the Democrats’ candidate in the race by Vice President Kamala Harris due to concerns about his mental acuity after a stumbling debate with Trump, will speak at 11:00 a.m. (1600 GMT), the White House said. Harris sought on Wednesday to console the voters who had hoped she would become the first woman to win the White House. She, like Biden, has promised to aid Trump’s transition between now and his inauguration on Jan. 20 but said she was not prepared to embrace his vision for the country.
Trump’s campaign said Biden had invited him to a meeting at the White House at an unspecified time.
Former President Trump’s victory, surprisingly decisive after opinion polls that had showed a neck-and-neck contest ahead of Tuesday’s election, underscored how disenchanted Americans had become with the economy – in particular the effect of inflation on their standard of living – border security and the direction of the country and its culture. Hispanics, traditionally Democratic voters, and lower-income households hit hardest by inflation helped fuel the victory. Harris’ campaign had sought to press the message that Trump was unfit to serve again as president, as a convicted felon and one whose false claims of voting fraud after his 2020 election defeat spurred a mob to storm the US Capitol.
This time, Trump prevailed in five of the seven battleground states to push him past the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the presidency and was leading in the remaining two, Arizona and Nevada, where votes were still being tallied.
He was also on track to become the first Republican presidential candidate to win the popular vote since George W. Bush two decades ago.
Republicans wrested control of the US Senate from Democrats, ensuring Trump will control at least one chamber of Congress next year. It is not clear if they will retain their majority in the US House of Representatives, with dozens of races not yet called.
In the days and weeks ahead, Trump will select personnel to serve under his leadership, his campaign said on Wednesday.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and a prominent Trump donor, has been promised a role in his administration, as has former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon and billionaire hedge fund manager John Paulson are seen as possible new entrants to his administration, while former Trump officials Robert O’Brien and Mike Pompeo could return to office.
On trade, Trump is expected to revive policies he favored during his first term, notably tariffs that he has called the “most beautiful word.” That could set him on a collision course with China, which has the world’s second largest economy, sow discord with allies and roil global industries from automakers to chipmakers.
Chinese President Xi Jinping sent Trump a congratulatory message and said he hopes the two powers will coexist peacefully and achieve win-win cooperation, China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was among world leaders congratulating Trump. But Trump has been critical of Biden’s assistance for Ukraine in its war with Russia. He has said he could end the war in 24 hours but has not offered a detailed plan. The White House plans to rush billions of dollars in security assistance to Ukraine before Biden leaves office in January, sources said on Wednesday, hoping to shore up the government in Kyiv before Trump takes over.


Typhoon Yinxing slams into northern Philippine region still reeling from back-to-back storms

Updated 35 min 6 sec ago
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Typhoon Yinxing slams into northern Philippine region still reeling from back-to-back storms

  • Typhoon Yinxing is the 13th to batter the disaster-prone Southeast Asian archipelago in 2024
  • Tropical Storm Trami and Typhoon Kong-rey hit the northern Philippines in recent weeks

MANILA: A strong typhoon slammed into a northern Philippine province on Thursday as thousands were evacuated in a region still recovering from back-to-back storms that hit a few weeks ago.

Typhoon Yinxing is the 13th to batter the disaster-prone Southeast Asian archipelago in 2024.

“I really pity our people but all of them are tough,” Gov. Marilou Cayco of the province of Batanes said by telephone. Her province was ravaged by recent destructive storms and is expected to be affected by Yinxing’s fierce wind and rain.

Tens of thousands of villagers were returning to emergency shelters, and disaster-response teams were again put on alert in Cagayan and other northern provinces near the expected path of Yinxing. The typhoon blew into Santa Ana town in Cagayan province on Thursday afternoon.

The slow-moving typhoon, locally named Marce, was packing sustained winds of up to 175 kilometers (109 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 240 kph (149 mph) just before it made landfall in the coastal town of Santa Ana in Cagayan province, government forecasters said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.

Aside from flash floods, authorities were concerned about the higher possibilities of landslides in northern mountainous region, which has been inundated by pounding rains from two previous storms.

The coast guard, army, air force and police were on high alert. Inter-island ferries and cargo services and domestic flights were suspended in northern provinces.

Tropical Storm Trami and Typhoon Kong-rey hit the northern Philippines in recent weeks, leaving at least 151 people dead and affecting nearly 9 million others. More than 14 billion pesos ($241 million) in rice, corn and other crops and infrastructure were damaged.

The death and destruction from the storms prompted President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to declare a day of national mourning on Monday when he visited the worst-hit province of Batangas, south of the capital, Manila. At least 61 people perished in the coastal province.

Trami dumped one to two months’ worth of rain in just 24 hours in some regions, including in Batangas.

“We want to avoid the loss of lives due to calamities,” Marcos said in Talisay town in Batangas, where he brought key Cabinet members to reassure storm victims of rapid government help. “Storms nowadays are more intense, extensive and powerful.”

In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest recorded tropical cyclones, left more than 7,300 people dead or missing, flattened entire villages and caused ships to run aground and smash into houses in the central Philippines.


Philippines confident in US alliance under Trump amid China tensions, envoy says

Updated 59 min 5 sec ago
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Philippines confident in US alliance under Trump amid China tensions, envoy says

  • US-Philippine security engagements have deepened under President Joe Biden and Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
  • Both leaders keen to counter what they see as China’s aggressive actions in the South China Sea and near Taiwan

MANILA: The Philippines expects US policy in the Indo-Pacific and support for its treaty ally amid South China Sea tensions to remain steady under Donald Trump, driven by bipartisan resolve in Washington, its ambassador to the US said on Thursday.
Both Democrats and Republicans prioritize countering China’s influence, including in the South China Sea, Jose Manuel Romualdez said, suggesting that military cooperation, economic ties and security commitments with the Philippines will continue.
“It is in their interest that the Indo-Pacific region remains free, peaceful and stable, especially given the economic part of it, with trillions of dollars passing through the South China Sea,” Romualdez said in an interview.
US-Philippine security engagements have deepened under President Joe Biden and Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr, with both leaders keen to counter what they see as China’s aggressive actions in the South China Sea and near Taiwan.
Marcos said in a congratulatory message after Trump’s victory: “I am hopeful that this unshakeable alliance, tested in war and peace, will be a force of good that will blaze a path of prosperity and amity, in the region, and in both sides of the Pacific.”
Under Marcos, the Philippines has increased the number of its bases accessible to US forces to nine from five, some facing the South China Sea, where China has built artificial islands equipped with runways and missile systems.
The US has proposed $128 million for infrastructure improvements at those bases, in addition to a $500 million pledge for the Philippine military and coast guard.
Romualdez expressed confidence that these commitments, including joint US-Philippine maritime exercises that began last year, would continue under Trump.
“We have very strong bipartisan support in the US Congress where the money comes from. Every single one of our friends in the Republican side has signified their concern and strong support for whatever we’re doing right now in relation to the challenges we face with China today,” Romualdez said.
He suggested potential changes under Trump would be “minimal” and could even be favorable.
During Trump’s previous term, the US dispelled any doubts about its defense commitments when then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo assured Manila in 2019 that Washington would defend its ally if attacked in the South China Sea, reinforcing the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty.
Beijing claims much of the South China Sea, where about $3 trillion in ship-borne trade passes annually, with the area becoming a flashpoint for Chinese and US tensions around naval operations. There have been recent clashes over territorial claims between China and the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia.
Romualdez emphasized Manila’s intent to manage disputes peacefully, and “will continue to dialogue with China as long as it’s not detrimental to our interests.”
“We’re not at war,” Romualdez said, adding there are many areas where Philippines and China can work with.


Mozambique deploys soldiers ahead of planned protests

Updated 07 November 2024
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Mozambique deploys soldiers ahead of planned protests

  • The southern African nation has been rocked by violence since an October 9 vote
  • Main opposition candidate Venancio Mondlane says results were false and that he won

MAPUTO: Soldiers and police were patrolling Mozambique’s capital Maputo early Thursday ahead of a planned protest against election results seen by the opposition as fraudulent, AFP reporters said.
The southern African nation has been rocked by violence since an October 9 vote won by the Frelimo party, which has been in power for almost 50 years.
The city of more than one more million people was a ghost town on Thursday morning, with shops, banks, schools and universities closed.
A group of a dozen demonstrators, many wearing flip flops and one man wrapped in a Mozambican flag, gathered around 0700 GMT on one of the main streets before being told by a soldier to go home.
Frelimo’s Daniel Chapo won the presidential election with 71 percent of the vote, according to the electoral commission, while the main opposition candidate Venancio Mondlane came in second with 20 percent.
Mondlane, backed by the small Podemos party, who said results were false and that he won, called for a mass protest on Thursday.
Using social media, he has rallied supporters out onto the streets since the election in demonstrations that have turned violent in police crackdowns.
In an interview with AFP, the opposition leader, whose whereabouts are unknown, said he would not be present at the march due to concerns over his safety.
At least 18 protesters have been killed in post-electoral violence, according to Human Rights Watch. Local NGO the Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CDD) said the death toll was 24.
A police officer was also killed in a protest at the weekend, Defense Minister Cristovao Chume told reporters Tuesday, warning the army could intervene “to protect the interests of the state.”
“There is an intention to change the democratically established power,” he said, amid fears that outgoing President Filipe Nyusi could declare a state of emergency.
Nyusi is expected to step down early next year at the end of his two-term limit.
The authorities have restricted access to Internet across the country in what seemed like an effort to “suppress peaceful protests and public criticism of the government,” according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).
“The shutdown inhibits people’s ability to receive and use life-saving information, to assemble peacefully, and to express their political opinions in a time of crisis,” said Allan Ngari, Africa advocacy director at HRW.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said on Wednesday that he was “deeply alarmed by reports of violence across the country.”
“The police must refrain from using unnecessary or disproportionate force and ensure that they manage protests in line with Mozambique’s international human rights obligations,” he said.
The Southern African Development Community has called for an extraordinary summit between November 16 and 20 in part to discuss developments in Mozambique.