The United Kingdom is grappling with the worst riot in 13 years which erupted after angry protesters took to the streets in the British seaside town of Southport and at the official residence of the United Kingdom’s prime minister after a stabbing attack killed three girls on Monday, 29th July.
A man went on a stabbing spree during a Taylor Swift-themed yoga and dance workshop on Southport’s Hart Street. Three young girls were killed. Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, passed on Monday. A third girl, Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, succumbed to her injuries on Tuesday.
Eight other children, five of whom are in critical condition, were also injured. Additionally, two adults were injured while trying to shield the children from the damage, according to the police.
What Informed the Riotous Public Response?
According to police, false rumors were spread online that the 17-year-old suspect in the knife attack was a Muslim immigrant. He was named in court last week as British-born Axel Rudakubana after a judge lifted reporting restrictions for people under 18. False claims about the suspect’s origins spread like wildfire with some falsely naming him as “Ali al-Shakati” with no official source for the name.
Disturbances were reported across the Kingdom in Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Sunderland, Blackpool, Hull, and Belfast in Northern Ireland. Police officials have said many of the actions are being organized online by shadowy far-right groups, who are mobilizing support with phrases like “enough is enough,” “save our kids” and “stop the boats”. They are tapping into a narrative – amplified by right-wing media outlets and commentators – about the scale of immigration in the UK, in particular migrants and refugees arriving in small boats from France across the English Channel.
Influencer Andrew Tate also said in a video on X that an “undocumented migrant” who had “arrived on a boat” had attacked the girls in Southport.
“The soul of the Western man is so broken that when the invaders slaughter your daughters, you do absolutely f****** nothing,” Tate said.
Tommy Robinson, a far-right, anti-Islam campaigner and Co-founder of the far-right English Defence League has been accused of fuelling the riots. “There is more evidence to suggest Islam is a mental health issue rather than a religion of peace. They’re replacing the British nation with hostile, violent, aggressive migrants. … Your children don’t matter to [the Labour government],” he said to his more than 800,000 followers on X.
What is the Government’s response?
According to the UK police, more than 150 people have been arrested since the beginning of the riots.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer denounced the “violent thugs” who clashed with police in London, saying they would “feel the full force of the law”. Starmer met with senior police leaders to offer his “full backing” after the “incidents of extreme violence and public disorder”.
“While the right to peaceful protest must be protected at all costs, we will be clear that criminals who exploit that right in order to sow hatred and carry out violent acts will face the full force of the law,” his office said before the meeting.
