The worst riots since 2011 have broken out in the United Kingdom following the stabbing in Southport last Monday, where three girls were killed.
This is about ventilating various kinds of discontent, according to Nicholas Aylott, lecturer at Södertörn University College and head of the European Program at the Foreign Policy Institute. This includes poor economic development, lack of investments in infrastructure, cuts in the public sector – and immigration.
Historically, the latter has been very high in recent years and has created anxiety and discontent. In connection with this, the triggering event was this terrible murder. It's a combination of factors that needed a spark, he says.
The violence escalated after rumors spread among mainly right-wing extremist groups that the perpetrator was an asylum seeker. The police refuted this by releasing the identity of the arrested person. The 17-year-old was born in the United Kingdom with parents from Rwanda.
Right-wing extremists may have fueled
Loosely organized right-wing extremist groups have grown since the pandemic and operate relatively invisibly on platforms like Telegram, according to Aylott. The groups are difficult to grasp, but seem to have fueled the violence.
The only thing one can say now is that there are probably active right-wing extremists involved in the riots, but what proportion they make up is hard to say. I find it hard to see that it's only political extremists who are participating.
The fact that the riots are spreading like wildfire across the country may be due to social conditions, including in northern England. But also that the violence is being displayed in both social and general media.
One cannot deny the media's role in spreading models. One has long talked about a copycat effect.
Understanding or tough measures?
The riots are an unexpectedly large challenge for the newly formed Labour government with Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
In a way, Starmer must be stone-hard against the perpetrators while signaling that he understands the broad discontent that is the breeding ground for them. It will be a delicate balancing act, it's not easy to lead a country in such a situation.
A political advantage for Starmer may be that he was a prosecutor during the racism-related riots in 2011. Then, he became known for driving through quick trials and unusually swift sentences.
He acquired a tough and hard reputation.
