A wave of riots sparked by a deadly attack at a children’s dance event has gripped many parts of the United Kingdom and has been fuelled by a flood of misinformation. What began as a community’s grief over the tragic deaths of three little girls has descended into chaos across the country, with far-right groups using the occasion to incite anti-immigration and anti-Muslim violence.
How did the protests start?
On July 29, three young girls aged six to nine were killed during a Taylor Swift-themed dance event in Southport, northern England. Eight other children and two adults were also stabbed and hospitalised. The attacker, 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana, was arrested and charged with three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a blade.
Axel Rudakubana was born and raised in Cardiff, Wales. However, false information quickly spread on social media that he was an Islamist immigrant. This misinformation sparked violent anti-Muslim protests in Southport the following day, including an attempted attack on a local mosque.
Spread of the riots
Angry protesters descended on Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Downing Street office on Wednesday evening, expressing their outrage over immigration and demanding action from the government. The crowd chanted “Save our children” and “We want our country back” and clashed with police. Protesters threw flares and smoke canisters towards the prime minister’s residence.
The Metropolitan Police has reported 111 arrests and five injured officers following a night of violent disorder. This comes after initial protests in Southport on Tuesday, where more than 50 police officers were injured and a police van was set on fire.
Since then, riots have broken out in more than 20 places across Britain, including Sunderland, Manchester, Plymouth and Belfast. In these protests, hundreds of people have targeted immigrants or Muslims, vandalised shops and clashed with police.
Who is behind the riots?
Keir Starmer has blamed “far-right hooligans” for the recent violence. Prominent anti-Muslim and anti-immigration activists such as Stephen Yaxley-Lennon have been accused of spreading false information to inflame tensions. Social media platforms have been criticised for failing to curb the spread of misinformation, playing a key role in promoting these false stories.
According to police, most of the people involved in the clashes were right-wing agitators from outside the local areas. However, some people with local grievances or young people looking for excitement also joined the clashes, police said. Meanwhile, counter-protesters and anti-fascist groups have gathered to oppose them.
Motivation behind the riots
Many rioters described themselves as “patriots”, claiming that high immigration levels were undermining British society. They argued that immigration fuels violence and crime and that politicians favour migrants. However, rights groups and anti-racism organisations dismissed these claims as baseless, suggesting that the real motive was extremism disguised as patriotism.
Government response
The Starmer-led government has taken swift action in response to the recent riots, providing around 600 extra prison places and deploying specialist officers to prevent the situation from deteriorating. A 58-year-old British man has also been sentenced to three years in prison for violent disorder.
The government is also targeting those who use social media to spread mischief, with one man charged for using threatening language on Facebook to incite racial hatred. Science Minister Peter Kyle has met with representatives from major tech companies such as TikTok, Meta, Google and X to try to stop inflammatory activities and the spread of false information online.
