London: A wave of riots, sparked by a deadly attack at a children's dance event and further fueled by a torrent of misinformation, has gripped parts of the United Kingdom. What began as a community's grief over the tragic loss of three young girls has spiralled into nationwide chaos, with far-right groups using the moment to incite anti-immigration and anti-Muslim violence.
What triggered the protests
On July 29, three young girls, aged six to nine, were killed during a Taylor Swift-themed dance event in Southport, northern England. Eight other children and two adults also suffered stab wounds and were transferred to the hospital. The attacker, 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana, was arrested and charged with three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and one of possession of a blade.
Axel Rudakubana was born and raised in Cardiff, Wales. However, false information that he was an Islamist migrant quickly spread on social media. This misinformation incited violent anti-Muslim protests in Southport the following day, including an attempted attack on the local mosque.
Spread of the riots
On Wednesday evening, a sea of angry demonstrators descended upon Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Downing Street office, voicing their outrage over immigration and demanding action from the government. The crowd's chants of "Save our kids" and "We want our country back" filled the air as protesters clashed with police, hurling flares and smoke canisters towards the prime minister's residence.
The Metropolitan police reported 111 arrests and five injured officers, following a night of violent disorder. This comes after Tuesday's initial protests in Southport, where over 50 police officers were hurt and police vans were set ablaze.
Since then, riots have erupted in over 20 locations, including Sunderland, Manchester, Plymouth and Belfast, across Britain. These protests have involved hundreds of participants targeting migrants or Muslims, vandalising shops, and clashing with police.
Who is behind the riots?
Keir Starmer blames the recent violence on "far-right thuggery". Prominent anti-Muslim and anti-immigration activists, like Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, are accused of spreading false information to inflame tensions. Social media platforms have been criticised for not preventing the spread of disinformation, which has played a significant role in amplifying these false narratives.
According to police, the majority of those involved in the clashes were far-right agitators from outside the local areas. However, some individuals with local grievances or young people seeking excitement also joined the fray, police said. Meanwhile, counter-protesters and anti-fascist groups have gathered to oppose them.
The motivation behind the riots
Many rioters, describing themselves as "patriots", claimed that high immigration levels were undermining British society. They argued that immigration fueled violence and crime and that politicians favoured migrants. However, rights groups and anti-racist organisations rejected these claims as baseless, suggesting the true motive was extremism masked as patriotism.
Government's response
The Starmer-led government has taken swift action in response to the recent riots, making nearly 600 additional prison places available and deploying specialist officers to prevent the situation from spiralling. A 58-year-old British man has also been jailed for three years for violent disorder.
The government is also targeting those using social media to spread trouble, with one man charged for using threatening language to stir up racial hatred on Facebook. Science Minister Peter Kyle has met with representatives from major tech companies, like TikTok, Meta, Google and X, to prevent incitement and the spread of false information online.