Keir Starmer’s government did not see this crisis coming. After a week of riots, spreading their violence further and further across the United Kingdom every day, the Labour Prime Minister had to convene a crisis unit on Monday, August 5, to assess the situation. “Better late than never,” quipped the Conservative opposition. It must be said that the summer torpor and the parliamentary recess have reduced the authorities’ responsiveness…
Furthermore, Keir Starmer and his Home Secretary Yvette Copper were probably hoping that the clashes between far-right activists and the Yorkshire police would eventually die down. And that the reality, now known around the tragic incident that triggered the violence, would calm things down. But to no avail. The demonstrations, initially located in Southport near Liverpool, have degenerated into riots, which are increasing in intensity and affecting new locations every day.
It all started on July 29 in Southport, when a 17-year-old stabbed three girls to death and seriously injured ten others. With the police refusing to reveal the suspect’s identity, rumors quickly began to spread about his origins and status. Far-right activists spread false information on Telegram that the murderer was a registered asylum seeker and that he was Muslim. The rumor reached the social network X and was relayed by billionaire influencer Andrew Tate as well as the former leader of the militia English Defence League, Tommy Robinson with 10.8 million subscribers. It was then TikTok’s turn to amplify the wave of disinformation. For Tim Squirrell, director of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a specialist in the far right and online disinformation strategies, it was the classic snowball, “the three-step staircase: Telegram, Twitter and TikTok”.
“Anger in a state of permanent simmering”
The result was immediate. The day after the tragedy, hundreds of far-right activists converged on Southport and attacked a mosque and the local police, who were visibly overwhelmed. For their part, the police took three days to reveal the identity of the suspect: far too long for the facts to dispel the lies. In reality, the 17-year-old murderer was British, with Rwandan parents legally living in the United Kingdom. This did not change much for the rioters, who ultimately only needed a pretext to give free rein to their anger. “Anger in a state of permanent simmering,” says Tim Squirrell.
The real xenophobes have been joined by looters, thugs, but also a poor population, particularly from the north of England, who feel downgraded and neglected, compared to ethnic minorities and migrants who, according to them, are treated much better and receive specific aid. The white proletariat, feeling culturally and socially threatened, is sensitive to the arguments of the extreme right. For them, these riots have become in a few days a way to scream their frustration, like Brexit eight years ago.
For now, Keir Starmer is calling it “far-right brutality” and has sent in extra police to help manage the situation. Police forces in the southwest of England, Devon and Cornwall are on standby and are expecting violent protests and counter-protests from the far left and Muslim community militias. There was already a near-tragedy on Sunday 3 August when a group of eight rioters set fire to a refugee centre in Rotherham, blocking the emergency exits with 130 people inside. Emergency services were able to arrive in time.
The opposition, and in particular the far-right leader Nigel Farage – who condemns the violence but calls for a national debate on immigration – is urging Keir Starmer to recall MPs currently on vacation for an emergency parliamentary session. For the moment, Keir Starmer is refusing to do so. However, Northern Ireland, after looting and scenes of anti-immigrant violence in Belfast, has just recalled its assembly in an emergency manner.
Keir Starmer is currently counting on a muscular response, numerous arrests (450 last night) and the severity of the justice system in immediate appearance to put an end to the riots. An arrest warrant has even been issued for Tommy Robinson, a far-right activist, who incited violence against X from his holiday home in Spain. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced that any online disinformation will be pursued and severely punished. An investigation is also underway into the role that certain countries may play in disinformation on social networks.
Labour faces a very serious first test. They had better demonstrate their effectiveness very quickly if they do not want to be dragged down a slippery and dangerous slope.