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

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

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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Congo brings forward launch of mpox vaccine drive to Oct 2

Updated 8 sec ago
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Congo brings forward launch of mpox vaccine drive to Oct 2

Congo brings forward launch of mpox vaccine drive to Oct 2
Congo is the epicenter of the ongoing mpox outbreak that WHO declared to be a global public health emergency last month
Health authorities now intend to start the campaign on Oct. 2, response chief Cris Kacita told Reuters

KINSHASA: Democratic Republic of Congo will start its mpox vaccination campaign on Oct. 2, nearly a week earlier than previously planned, the head of its outbreak response said on Wednesday.
Congo is the epicenter of the ongoing mpox outbreak that the World Health Organization declared to be a global public health emergency last month, but a lack of vaccines has until now hampered efforts to curb the spread of the sometimes deadly virus.
The central African country had been planning to launch vaccinations on Oct. 8 after receiving its first delivery of mpox doses last week. But health authorities now intend to start the campaign on Oct. 2, response chief Cris Kacita told Reuters.
“There are procedures that have evolved and helped reduce delays,” he said, adding that the vaccination campaign will last 10 days and target only adults, including health care professionals, park rangers and sex workers in Congo’s six provinces.
He has previously said that work was ongoing to combat mistrust of the vaccine in some communities and to manage the logistical challenge of rolling out the program across six provinces in a country the size of Western Europe.
On Tuesday, Congo received 50,000 mpox vaccine doses that had been donated by the United States, Ambassador Lucy Tamlyn said on X.
Kacita told Reuters that Congo had received in total 265,000 doses from the United States and the European Union.
He said those doses would not be sufficient to cover many areas in the central African country. “There have been promises from France and Belgium, and the number of doses is expected to be known within the week,” Kacita said.
Japan has promised to donate 3.5 million doses of a vaccine that could administered to children, who are among the main victims of the epidemic, he said, adding that discussions were still continuing.

Slavery reparations backed by all candidates vying for Commonwealth boss

Slavery reparations backed by all candidates vying for Commonwealth boss
Updated 54 sec ago
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Slavery reparations backed by all candidates vying for Commonwealth boss

Slavery reparations backed by all candidates vying for Commonwealth boss
  • Declared candidates — Mamadou Tangara of Gambia, Shirley Botchwey from Ghana and Joshua Setipa of Lesotho — said they backed the idea of making amends for slavery and colonialism
  • Caribbean Community has a 10-point reparation plan, which among other demands calls for debt cancelation
LONDON: All three candidates running to become the next secretary-general of the Commonwealth, a 56-nation club headed by Britain’s King Charles, said on Wednesday they supported reparations for transatlantic slavery and colonialism.
The Commonwealth evolved out of the British empire and is one of world’s biggest international organizations, covering some 2.7 billion people. Members include Canada and India as well as 21 African countries, and Caribbean islands such as Barbados and Jamaica.
Charles expressed deep sorrow over slavery in a speech to Commonwealth leaders in 2022 and last year gave his support to research that will examine the British monarchy’s links to slavery. However, Britain, like most colonial powers, has rejected calls for reparations.
The Commonwealth’s next leader, succeeding Britain’s Patricia Scotland, will be elected in October at the heads of government meeting in Samoa.
At a debate at London’s Chatham House, the three declared candidates — Mamadou Tangara of Gambia, Shirley Botchwey from Ghana and Joshua Setipa of Lesotho — said they backed the idea of making amends for slavery and colonialism.
“I stand for reparations,” Botchwey, Ghana’s foreign affairs minister, said, adding the Commonwealth could have a role to play if the member states request a “common voice” on the issue.
Setipa, a former trade and industry minister, said if he was elected he would not wait for member states to ask the Commonwealth to act.
“The Commonwealth has a long history of facilitating discussions about difficult issues,” he said.
Tangara, a Gambian diplomat and politician, said he “fully” supported reparations but it was up to member states to lead the conversations, which the Commonwealth could facilitate.
Both Botchwey and Setipa said reparations weren’t just about financial payments but also support to tackle climate change and build countries’ economic resilience, with Setipa noting these issues were crucial to addressing the legacy of centuries of slavery and colonialism.
From the 15th to the 19th century, at least 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped, forcibly transported by European merchants and sold into slavery. Britain transported an estimated 3.2 million people, the most active European country after Portugal, which enslaved nearly 6 million.
The highly divisive issue of reparations to address historical wrongs is long-standing but has been gaining momentum, with several institutions and some nations acknowledging their past.
Ghana’s Botchwey has previously said Africa should use declarations and admissions of guilt as a “compelling reason and a foundation for a demand for reparations.”
The Caribbean Community has a 10-point reparation plan, which among other demands calls for debt cancelation, and the African Union is developing a common position on the issue, with Ghana leading the efforts.
Earlier this year, United Nations chief Antonio Guterres called for reparations to “help overcome generations of exclusion and discrimination.”

Islamic center head leaves Germany after deportation order

Islamic center head leaves Germany after deportation order
Updated 58 min 18 sec ago
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Islamic center head leaves Germany after deportation order

Islamic center head leaves Germany after deportation order
  • Mohammad Hadi Mofatteh, who was the head of the Hamburg Islamic Center before it was banned in July, left Germany on Tuesday evening
  • Investigators swooped on the Hamburg Islamic Center in July after concluding it was an “Islamist extremist organization” with links to Iran and Hezbollah

HAMBURG: The former head of an Islamic center in Germany banned for its alleged links to extremist groups has left the country after being served with a deportation order, local authorities said Wednesday.
Mohammad Hadi Mofatteh, who was the head of the Hamburg Islamic Center before it was banned in July, left Germany on Tuesday evening, the Hamburg interior ministry said in a statement.
Mofatteh, 57, had been ordered two weeks ago to leave Germany by Wednesday or face being deported at his own expense.
He will not be allowed to re-enter Germany for 20 years and could face up to three years in prison if he does, the ministry said.
Andy Grote, interior minister for the state of Hamburg, described Mofatteh as “one of Germany’s most prominent Islamists.”
“We will continue to take a tough line against Islamists with all legal means at our disposal,” he said in a statement.
Investigators swooped on the Hamburg Islamic Center in July after concluding it was an “Islamist extremist organization” with links to Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah group.
Iran reacted angrily to the accusations and shut down a German language institute in Tehran in what appeared to be a tit-for-tat move.
Mofatteh’s exit comes with the threat from Islamist extremists high on the political agenda in Germany after a deadly knife attack in the western city of Solingen in late August.
Three people were killed and eight injured in the rampage, allegedly carried out by a Syrian asylum seeker and claimed by the Daesh group.
The attack has reignited a bitter debate about immigration in Germany, with Interior Minister Nancy Faeser this week announcing new border controls to curb irregular migrant inflows.
The government has also promised to speed up deportations and a week after the Solingen attack deported Afghans convicted of crimes back to their home country for the first time since Taliban authorities took power in 2021.


Tajikistan’s chief mufti injured in attack, interior ministry says

Tajikistan’s chief mufti injured in attack, interior ministry says
Updated 11 September 2024
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Tajikistan’s chief mufti injured in attack, interior ministry says

Tajikistan’s chief mufti injured in attack, interior ministry says
  • The ministry said a person with “hooligan motives” had stabbed Abduqodirzoda following a prayer service at a mosque

DUSHANBE: Tajikistan’s top Muslim cleric Sayeedmukarram Abduqodirzoda was injured in an attack outside a central mosque in the capital Dushanbe on Wednesday, the interior ministry said.
The ministry said a person with “hooligan motives” had stabbed Abduqodirzoda following a prayer service at a mosque.
He suffered minor injuries and was released after a medical examination, the ministry said. Authorities detained the attacker and have opened a criminal case into the incident, it added.


Abduqodirzoda, 61, has served as chairman of the country’s highest Islamic institution, the Islamic Council of Ulema, since 2010, according to his official biography.
Tajikistan is a land-locked country of some 10 million people sandwiched between Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and China. The majority of Tajiks are adherents of the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam.


US, UK pledge economic aid for Ukraine, quick action on arms requests

US, UK pledge economic aid for Ukraine, quick action on arms requests
Updated 12 min 37 sec ago
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US, UK pledge economic aid for Ukraine, quick action on arms requests

US, UK pledge economic aid for Ukraine, quick action on arms requests
  • “Our support will not wane, our unity will not break,” Blinken told a joint news conference in Kyiv
  • President Volodymyr Zelensky has ramped up his requests over recent months to the West to provide weapons with more firepower and fewer restrictions

KYIV: The United States and Britain on Wednesday committed to nearly $1.5 billion in support for Ukraine and promised to consider quickly requests to ease restrictions on weapons to strike deeper into Russia.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy paid the rare joint visit to Kyiv in a show of solidarity as concerns mount.
Russia’s alleged acquisition of new short-range Iranian missiles threatens to ramp up Moscow’s firepower and the US election in less than two months could dramatically shift the stance of Ukraine’s top backer.
Blinken, who took a nine-hour train ride to Kyiv alongside Lammy, said the United States would offer $717 million in new economic help to Ukraine.
About half of it will consist of US support to strengthen Ukraine’s electricity infrastructure, which has been pounded by Russia just as winter sets in.
Blinken accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of dusting off “his winter playbook” to “weaponize the cold against the Ukrainian people.”
“Our support will not wane, our unity will not break,” Blinken told a joint news conference in Kyiv.
“Putin will not outlast the coalition of countries committed to Ukraine’s success, and he is certainly not going to outlast the Ukrainian people.”
Lammy recommitted his two-month-old Labour government to providing 600 billion pounds ($782 million) in economic assistance to Ukraine.
He said that Britain, which has consistently pushed to ease restrictions on Ukraine’s use of weapons, would provide hundreds of new air defense missiles to Ukraine this year.
Russia has been advancing on the key logistics hub of Pokrovsk in the eastern Donetsk region, a month after Kyiv launched a shock counter-offensive into Russia’s Kursk region.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has ramped up his requests over recent months to the West to provide weapons with more firepower and fewer restrictions.
“It is important to lift any restrictions on the use of US and British weapons against legitimate military targets in Russia,” Ukrainian foreign minister Andriy Sybiga told the joint conference with his counterparts, who earlier met Zelensky.
Blinken said that the United States would look at the requests “with urgency” and that they would be discussed Friday in Washington when President Joe Biden meets UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Biden, asked in Washington on Tuesday whether he would let Ukraine use longer-range weapons for strikes on Russian targets, said: “We’re working that out right now.”
Biden, while strongly supportive of Ukraine, has previously made clear he wants to avoid devolving into direct conflict between the United States and Russia, the world’s two leading nuclear powers.
Asked how Moscow would respond to expanded missile ranges, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Wednesday the response “will be appropriate,” without providing specific details.
He said the authorization of Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory would serve as “further proof” of why Moscow launched its offensive, which he said was itself an “answer” to the West’s support for Ukraine.
The United States said it believes that Russia could start firing short-range Iranian-made missiles into Ukraine within weeks.
Cash-strapped Iran went ahead with the sale of the missiles despite repeated warnings from Western powers, which on Tuesday announced new sanctions on the cleric-run state.
The Iranian shipments have raised fears that Moscow would be freed up to use its long-range missiles against comparatively unscathed areas in western Ukraine.
The United States earlier this year gave its blessing for Ukraine to use Western weapons to hit Russian forces when in direct conflict across the border.
British media reports said Biden was set to end objections to letting Ukraine fire long-range Storm Shadow missiles into Russia.
One key ask by Ukraine is to loosen restrictions on US-supplied Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, which can hit targets up to 300 kilometers (190 miles) away.
Both Republican and Democratic members of Congress have pushed Biden to move quickly on the ATACMS immediately.
Republicans, however, are deeply divided over Ukraine, and a victory in November by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump over Biden’s political heir Kamala Harris could dramatically shift US policy.
Trump aides have suggested that if he wins, he would leverage aid to force Kyiv into territorial concessions to Russia to end the war.
At a debate on Tuesday with Harris, Trump — who in the past has voiced admiration for Putin — notably did not say he wanted Ukraine to win, only that he wanted to end the war quickly.