On July 29 someone broke into a dance class for little girls and stabbed 11 of them. Three of the children died in Southport, UK. The police arrested a suspect who is an asylum seeker from Rwanda.
Memes spread on the internet like wildfire saying that the suspect is a Muslim. Anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant groups organised demonstrations in several British cities. Groups advertised on the internet for supporters to attend rallies at various locations. Islamophobic and racist slogans were used to promote these gatherings.
Those attending the protests are white almost without exception and overwhelmingly male. At protests, some people chanted anti-Muslim and racist chants. Many of the protestors are former members of the English Defence League (EDL). The EDL was dissolved around 10 years ago but remnants continue their struggle informally.
Tommy Robinson was the former doyen of the EDL. Robinson is a former aircraft mechanic from Luton, UK. Robinson has an extensive criminal record including for violent crime. Tommy Robinson was wanted in court on another charge and went into hiding on 30 July. There are rumours that he fled the country.
The demonstrations turned into riots in several places. In Southport, hundreds of men tried to storm a mosque while worshippers were inside. The police formed a cordon around the place of worship and managed to prevent the bigots from breaking in. No Muslims were injured but several police officers were injured by the rioters.
In some cities, police cars have been burned and shops looted. There have been attempts to break into centres housing asylum seekers.
Only a week before the riots the government released thousands of criminals from prison to ease the overcrowding. Criminals are usually set at liberty after serving 50% of their sentences. This has been cut to 40% for non-violent crime. However, letting a lot of unemployed felons onto the streets has aggravated the situation.
Mainstream politicians have appealed for calm. The ruling Labour Party denounced the rioters as knuckle-dragging scumbags. The Liberal Democrats and Conservatives have also excoriated criminals for attempting the murder of police officers.
Reform UK is a new political party which focuses on achieving net zero immigration. It disapproved of violence but said that the riots were caused by decades of excessive immigration both legal and illegal.
Scores of police officers have been wounded and so have some rioters. There have been over 100 arrests so far. The police try to arrest rioters afterwards to avoid inflaming the situation. These are the worst riots since 2011. The situation is not over yet.
This is the first unexpected problem for the Labour Government. The Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was once head of the Department for Public Prosecutions. In 2011 he took the view that all those charged by the police should be prosecuted. This resulted in hundreds of convictions but also dozens of acquittals. This was because the DPP prosecuted even feeble cases and clogged up the courts.
The government is trying to persuade judges to sit through the night to clear the backlog of cases. Judges may have to be paid more. For justice to have a deterrent effect it needs to be swift. People charged with riot are usually released on bail and the trial does not start for months. Labour wants to speed up the process of making someone stand trial. Labour has also asked social media to censor posts calling for violent disorder or spreading racist or Islamophobic content.
It is believed that Russian hackers disseminated the false rumour that a Muslim is a prime suspect in the murder of the little children. Moscow wants to cause British society to fall apart. Illegal immigration and Islam are hot-button issues in the UK. Undermining social cohesion in Western society means that Russia grows stronger by contrast.
As the police are preoccupied with dealing with public disorder, they are less able to deal with routine misdemeanours such as shoplifting. Labour promised a blitz on crime. It will be unable to deliver this.
The maximum sentence for riotous assembly is 10 years incarceration. Such a sentence is very seldom awarded.
The author is a political analyst from the UK. He can be watched on YouTube: George from Ireland