By Aaron
Aaron is proudly British, and a former member of the UK Independence Party and the Conservative Party. Like millions of British people, he’s concerned about mass immigration. At the same time, he deplores violent protest and he does not want to be stigmatised as “far right”. Here, he reflects on the August mayhem in the UK and what the response should be.
Context
In August 2024, a series of riots occurred across the United Kingdom following a tragic stabbing incident in Southport, a seaside town in the Merseyside region of North West England. This incident occurred on 29 July at a dance school where children were attending a Taylor Swift-themed workshop. The attacker, 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana, entered the premises armed with a knife and attacked the children and adults present. The incident resulted in the deaths of three girls aged between six and nine years old, and injuries to several others, including nine children and two adults. The victims were rushed to various hospitals in the region, with some initially in a critical condition. The attacker, who has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, was arrested at the scene and later charged with three counts of murder and ten counts of attempted murder. Police have not identified a clear motive for the attack, and they do not consider it terror-related. The incident led to widespread public outcry, and inaccurate claims about the attacker’s identity sparked riots across the UK.
Civil unrest participants
Who were the rioters? The government and media routinely described them as “far right”, but is this accurate? The rioters did not seem to have a political agenda. What appeared on my screen were angry mobs of violent and aggressive people divided by skin colour and religion. There was chanting, window-breaking, smashing vehicles, and arson. While it’s no doubt true that the riots were initiated by angry white communities against perceived migrant-related crime, we also saw Muslim gangs with weapons. It seemed to me that both were attacking the police and that neither had respect for authority, for the country, for property, or for life. The government and mainstream media such as the BBC blamed far-right thugs only – but X, Instagram, and YouTube were awash with footage of violence perpetrated by Muslim gangs as well. Elon Musk called the prime minister “two-tier Keir” in reference to the allegation that police were treating white rioters more harshly than minority groups.
Participants in riots can be described in various ways depending on their motives, actions, and the context. They might be driven by genuine grievances and political motivations. Participating in riots can be an extreme form of protest against perceived injustices, government policies, and social issues. Some participants can be described as opportunists who are taking advantage of the chaos for personal gain, such as looting or vandalism, without necessarily being aligned with any particular ideological motivation. Some might be described as anarchists or agitators: people who wish to deliberately incite violence or disorder. Some might be motivated by feelings of alienation, frustration, or anger due to social or economic conditions, seeing the riots as an outlet for their pent-up emotions. And some might simply be criminals, taking advantage of the breakdown in law and order.
The way we describe participants can vary widely depending on who is characterising them: protesters, rioters, anarchists, far-right thugs – all of these descriptions can conceal political motivations on the part of those doing the describing. The reality is likely to be more complex than just one label such as "far-right"
Personally speaking, I hate protests, but if protesters are peaceful and not damaging anything or anybody, then that’s fair enough. But if a protest requires a police presence, that’s another issue, because it can place huge additional demands on already stretched police services.
As I write this in early August, we are witnessing the actions of rioters and looters. Are they there for political reasons? Are they fighting for a cause? Are they standing up for morals and principles? I would say categorically no. They are there for a fight. They join a mob, get drunk, fight, shout, abuse, intimidate, set fire, destroy, and enjoy the process. This is a fun time for them. Maybe they are the same people that would go to a football match purely for a confrontation.
What’s the underlying problem?
Anti-Social Behaviour Orders or ASBOs were legal orders used in the UK from 1998 until they were replaced in 2014. They were designed to address and prevent behaviours deemed disruptive or harmful to the community. In 2014, ASBOs were replaced by new measures under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. These include Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBOs) and Civil Injunctions aimed at providing more flexibility in addressing anti-social behaviour. ASBOs were criticised for several reasons. There was debate over their effectiveness, with some arguing that they did not adequately deter anti-social behaviour. And they were seen as stigmatising and criminalising young people for behaviour that might otherwise be dealt with through community-based or supportive interventions. But my question is this: if Anti-Social Behaviour Orders did not deter anti-social behaviour, how effective are the Criminal Behaviour Orders which replaced them? It seems to me that, once a motivated drunken mob has assembled, they are almost unstoppable. Our new Prime Minister has used robust language to crack down on the disorder. Over 1,000 arrests were made and the criminal justice system worked overtime to convict and jail offenders. Counter-protesters also had some effect. Together, these measures and counter-protests have quelled the riots for now. But how long will it be before the next outbreak? And should we, as humanists and members of the public, augment police action in calmly defending our town halls, our shops, and key focal places so that the rioters don’t destroy them?
And what about the effectiveness of prison? Is a prison sentence a "badge of honour" for a rioter? Is prison a playground for drugs and violence? I agree that rioters need to be locked up, but I'd much sooner see them put through some unpleasant hard labour camp, perhaps in the Falkland Islands as Elon Musk is rumoured to have suggested. Punishment needs to be unpleasant, it needs to be educational, and it needs to be character-changing. These are big asks from our overcrowded and understaffed prisons.
The elephant in the room
I’m proudly British, I voted to leave the European Union, I’ve been a member of Nigel Farage’s UK Independence Party and a member of the Conservative Party. In recent media commentary, Nigel Farage was routinely bracketed with the “far right” and it seems that anyone questioning the wisdom of mass immigration is now stigmatised as “far right” by the governing and media class. And yet opinion polls often show that immigration is one of the top concerns of millions of voters in this country. Very few of those people are supportive of violent protest. And yet they all seem to be stigmatised as “far right” and our new Labour government appears unwilling to talk about the “elephant in the room” of mass immigration. Sir Keir Starmer has quelled the disorder for now. But I wonder how long it will be before the next “incident” triggers another cycle of violence.
Further reading: Humanists UK statement on the riots
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