Political scientist: The knife murders were a spark

The outbreaks of violence in many British cities after the Southport attack will be a balancing act for the new Labor government to manage.

At the same time, it is difficult to find out who is behind the violence, believes political scientist Nicholas Aylott.

The worst riots since 2011 have broken out in the UK after the stabbing in Southport last Monday in which three girls were killed.

It is about ventilating several different kinds of dissatisfaction, according to Nicholas Aylott, lecturer at Södertörn University and head of the Foreign Policy Institute’s Europe program. Including current poor economic development, missed investments in infrastructure, cuts in the public sector – and immigration.

– Historically speaking, it (immigration) has been very high in recent years and this has created concern and dissatisfaction. In connection with that, the precipitating event was this horrible murder. It’s a combination of factors that needed a spark, he says.

The violence took off 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 Great Britain with parents from Rwanda.

Right-wing extremists may have splurged

Loosely composed far-right groups have emerged since the pandemic and operate relatively invisibly on platforms such as Telegram, according to Aylott. The groups are difficult to get hold of but seem to have slowed down the violence.

– The only thing you can say now is that there are probably active right-wing extremists involved in the riots, but what percentage they make up is difficult to say. I find it hard to see that only politically extreme people participate.

That the riots spread like wildfire through the country may be due to the social conditions, including in the north of England. But also that the violence is shown in both social and public media.

– You cannot deny the media’s role in spreading role models. There has long been talk of a copycat effect.

Understanding or harsh measures?

The riots are an unexpectedly big challenge for the newly installed Labor government with Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

– In a way, Starmer has to be tough on the perpetrators of violence while signaling that he understands the broad discontent that is the breeding ground for them. It will be a tricky balancing act, it is 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 of 2011. Then he became known for pushing through speedy trials and unusually quick sentences.

– He acquired a tough and tough reputation.