No deaths, but deep wounds: Aftermath of riots in the UK

The riots that rocked the United Kingdom in August 2024 ended after about 10 days. The riots ended partly due to vociferous opposition from much of society. The police finally got a handle on the situation. Thousands of police officers had their days off cancelled. They flooded areas where police intelligence reported that anti-immigration demonstrators were due to rally. Some rioters were tried the day after their arrest. They were awarded stiff sentences in some cases as long as 10 years. The rioters just got bored and some went on holiday.

The riots did not result in a single death. But they easily could have done. There were attempts to burn down hostels housing asylum seekers and illegal immigrants. Dozens of police officers were injured. The disturbances took place in several cities.

In Northern Ireland, there was rare unity between nationalists and unionists. Nationalists want to join the Republic of Ireland. Unionists want to stay in the UK. Nationalists were displaying the Irish Tricolour as unionists flew the Union Jack. They were making common cause. It is very rare to see the two flags flown together. This amity was because anti-immigrant demonstrators of both communities agreed on something.

The demonstrators sometimes chanted anti-Muslim and racist slogans. They seemed to hold all Muslims and all ethnic minority people responsible for the crimes of the worst members of such communities.

Because the police were pulled away from other duties, theft rose sharply. Labour has said it will crack down on shoplifting. Shoplifting was unofficially decriminalised under the last government. The police told shops not to report thefts of anything worth under GBP 200. If the item were worth more than that, the police would then pretend to investigate. Thieves knew that they could steal with impunity so long as they did not steal very valuable items.

Tommy Robinson is a career criminal who is the head honcho of the anti-immigration movement in the United Kingdom. He is not anti-black. He claims to have once had Muslim friends. It is possible that he is not even anti-Muslim. He is just very cynical. He will appeal to anti-Muslim bigotry for his own aggrandisement. Robinson spent the riots on holiday in Cyprus. Tommy Robinson is an alias. His real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. He has used a number of aliases over the decades.

The anti-immigration movement is communicated by social media. The police are therefore able to read these messages. The police in the United Kingdom have a long history of infiltrating lawful organisations. There were some lawful organisations involved in demonstrations. But there were also proscribed ones. Demonstrations are lawful especially when done in coordination with the police. However, demonstrations sometimes degenerated into riots.

So-called anti-racism protestors countered the anti-immigration side. The people who called themselves anti-racists were sometimes communists, socialists, Islamists and anti-English elements.

The pro-immigration demonstrators often held placards saying, ‘refugees welcome.’ Some went so far as to say, ‘open the borders.’ That means they want no restriction on people entering the United Kingdom whatsoever. The UK has a GDP per capita of USD 40,000 per annum. In Burundi, it is USD 200 per annum. Therefore, people from less economically developed countries would be sorely tempted to move to the United Kingdom in their millions.

The United Kingdom had 750,000 net immigrations in 2023. That may not seem much, but the UK has a population of only 70 million. In other words, the population rose by over 1% in a year from immigration alone. Note that this is NET immigration. Take the number who move into the country and then subtract it by the number who move out and you have the net immigration figure. From 1945 to the late 1980s the UK had net emigration: more people moved out than moved in.

In 2010 David Cameron the Conservative Prime Minister vowed to get net immigration down to under 100 000 a year. He only got it to net 200,000 per annum.

The Conservative Government that just left office introduced restrictions on immigration. Labour is keeping these so far. These might cut net immigration to 350,000 a year. That would be a major success for Labour. Even Labour promised to reduce immigration.

Opinion polls show that at least 7% of people approved of the riots. Among Reform UK voters that is 20%. 9% of Conservative voters approved as did 3% of Labour voters and 1% of Liberal Democrat voters.

55% of people in the UK think immigration is excessive. Of the remainder, they are evenly divided between those who think it is about right and those who say it is too low. 80% of people say illegal immigration must be reduced.

Labour will probably exploit the riots to deprive people of their human rights. Labour is the sworn enemy of civil liberty. Free speech and fair trials will be attacked.

Keir Starmer said two-thirds of those in prison should not be there. He thinks prison does not work. But then he also thinks it does work: calling for stiffer sentences for those convicted of riotous assembly and affray.

A man recently insulted another and was given 10 months in prison. The insulter was white and the insultee was a brown-skinned Muslim man. The Labour Government says two-thirds of people in prison should not be there. But it is happy to imprison people for saying things that are an incitement to violence.

Labour has politicians who have incited violence. The Health Secretary Wes Streeting is notorious for calling for the murder of a female journalist. Labour says it is against misogyny.

The Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said that Labour needs to drastically reduce illegal immigration and fast. Labour recognises that this issue sunk the Conservatives, and it could bring down Labour too.

The standing of Reform UK has gone down since the riots. The approval rating of its leader Nigel Farage has been hit. Reform UK is perceived as being indirectly responsible for the riots. When the three little girls were murdered at the start of August, Farage said the police were wrong not to classify this as a terrorist incident.

There were 4 independent Muslim MPs elected on a pro-Gaza ticket. Labour is worried lest this sentiment grow. The Muslim community used to break heavily towards Labour with 80% of Labour voting. This is partly because Muslims tend to be young: their average age is 25 and the average age of a person in the UK is 40. Moreover, they are very concentrated in conurbations that are Labour strongholds: Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and London. They tend to be working class. But now only 60% of Muslims vote for Labour.

The embourgeoisement of the Muslim community has meant some vote Conservative. Some in North Britain are attracted to the SNP. Furthermore, the Muslim community is disillusioned with Labour’s support for massive-scale violence against Palestinian civilians.

The riots were a test of Sir Keir Starmer’s mettle and the efficiency of the new Labour Government. Their response was fairly good. The disorder was quietened after a few days. Thus far Labour has not done anything unjust. The police contained the situation with an excessive use of force. The police force is operationally independent. The Home Secretary may cajole but ultimately a chief constable takes decisions he or she deems apposite on a policing and not a political basis.

The author is a political analyst from the UK. He can be watched on YouTube George from Ireland