Geopolitics Review - 19th August 2024

Riots In The UK

“A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting its shoes on” - Mark Twain

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Contents

1. Introduction

2. What’s Happening In The UK?

3. Methods of Protest

4. Issues To Be Addressed

5. Media Fearmongering

6. Concluding Remarks

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Bitesize Edition

• At the end of July, we saw riots in the UK after an awful attack in Southport where three young girls were killed and many others were injured. Misinformation spread rapidly online regarding the attacker’s identity, and protestors flocked to the streets, protesting against the government and immigration.

• These riots were seen in many cities around the country. Some grew violent, with attacks on libraries, a hotel housing asylum seekers, and a citizen’s advice bureau. Twitter helped fuel the flames of the violence, and Telegram saw thousands organise riots in groups.

• Now that the riots have ended, I thought it opportune to reflect on what occurred, why it occurred, what we must address moving forward, and the role the media played in this sequence of events.

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Introduction

These recent riots were the biggest the UK has seen since 2011, and they saw Kier Starmer kept rather busy, as he has been since the start of his government. How did Starmer manage the riots, and what issues are we seeing within the UK that are leading to these riots? Find out more below.

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What Happened?

At the end of July, we saw a 17-year-old boy wielding a knife launch an attack on a dance class, killing three young girls. Six of the eleven injured children were in critical condition after the attack, and two adults were also attacked, seeking to defend other children at the dance from the attacker.

This is a heinous and disgraceful attack, with no reasoning. The pain felt by the families is truly incomprehensible, and I wish them every ounce of love.

In response to this attack, peaceful vigils occurred in Southport. But, after the attacks, a group filled with hate, with no thought for anybody but themselves, decided to launch into violent protest after misinformation spread online about the attacker, who was incorrectly believed to be a Muslim asylum seeker who arrived in the UK illegally. Prime Minister Starmer even stated there was potentially foreign nations were involved in the spreading of the misinformation.

The attacker was a 17-year-old boy who was born in Cardiff to parents of Rwandan descent, whose name was released to the public after a judge ruling, only a week before his 18th birthday. The fears were that not releasing his name would contribute to the spiralling misinformation.

Photo by ev on Unsplash

Still, the protests erupted regardless. The “reasoning” behind the protests was targeted towards asylum seekers and immigration. So why were libraries burnt to the ground? Why did these rioters think setting fire to a hotel with people inside was a great idea? A citizen’s advice bureau in Sunderland was also torched on August 2nd.

How is burning down an educational building, potentially trapping people inside a burning building, or limiting those who wish to help others through a citizen’s advice bureau going to achieve anything? Short answer, it isn’t.

Since these protests erupted, 100 were arrested outside Downing Street early into the riots. Many others in protests in Bristol, Belfast, Hull, Leeds, and Sunderland, among other regions of the country were also arrested. Since the beginning of the riots, over 1000 people have been arrested, with over 500 being charged. It’s the crackdown on the violence and hefty prison sentences that are being stated as contributing reasons as to why the riots have since died down. However, an additional contributor will likely be the return of football here in the UK on Friday 9th August, with football hooliganism groups cited as contributing to some of the riots. This is one such deep-routed issue that has existed in the UK for decades.

These protests are described as “anti-government, anti-Muslim, and anti-multiculturalism”, as stated by advocacy group, Hope Not Hate. Counter-groups also arose, protesting against these violent attacks. Many participants in the riots are linked to the defunct English Defence League, though these protests haven’t been organised by any remnants of the group directly. The founder of the former far-right group, Tommy Robinson, is currently in Cyprus after he fled the country and didn’t attend a court hearing. He was arrested and granted unconditional bail before he fled the country.

He himself has stated on Twitter that the violent protests were grievances with government failures and policies. A new government was put in place just over a month ago. They immediately scrapped the Rwanda Scheme, which would have cost billions of pounds, and had already seen no viable results. Others on Twitter, which is known for being a shitstorm of misinformation, bots, and the stoking of negativity, were throwing their pennies-worth in on the riots. Elon Musk stated civil war was underway and Nigel Farage has also been accused of amplifying false information, stating that he believed some information was being withheld surrounding the Southport attack. Twitter is notorious for fearmongering. Negativity sells, and gains further attention from more news outlets. With every iteration of a news event being covered, someone could slightly alter an aspect of the story, and you have a runaway misinformation train. These figures in the public eye see few, if any, repercussions for stoking such events as the riots here in the UK. When does the right to free speech become a public safety issue?