From 30 July to 5 August 2024,[a]far-right, anti-immigration protests and riots occurred in England and Northern Ireland,[b] within the United Kingdom. This followed a mass stabbing in Southport on 29 July in which three children were killed. The riots were fuelled by false claims circulated by far-right groups that the perpetrator of the attack was a Muslim and an asylum seeker, in addition to broader Islamophobic,[32][33] racist,[34][35] and anti-immigrant sentiments[36][37][38] that had grown leading up to the protests. The disorder included racist attacks, arson, and looting and was the largest incident of social unrest in England since 2011.[39] By 8 August at least 200 people had been sentenced with 177 imprisoned,[40] to an average sentence of around two years and up to a nine-years.[41] As of 1 September 1,280 arrests and nearly 800 charges had been made in relation to the unrest.[31]
The riots began in Southport, just a few streets away from where the attack took place. A demonstration outside the Southport Mosque quickly turned violent and protesters attacked police officers, injuring over fifty, burned a police van, and attacked the mosque. Over the following days the unrest spread to other towns and cities in England and to Belfast in Northern Ireland. On 31 July, over 100 protesters were arrested in London and demonstrations occurred in Manchester, Hartlepool, and Aldershot. On 2 August, rioting took place in Sunderland, where a Citizens Advice bureau was set on fire and police officers were injured and several people were arrested. The most severe rioting took place over the weekend of 3–4 August, when anti-immigration protesters clashed with police and counter-protesters, attacked homes and businesses owned by immigrants, and attacked hotels housing asylum seekers. From 6 August the unrest began to abate; counter-protests consistently and considerably outnumbered far-right protesters, and were followed by large anti-racist rallies across the country on 7 August.
On 29 July 2024 a knife attack took place at a Taylor Swift-themed children's yoga and dance workshop. Three children were killed and eight other children were injured, with five of them in critical condition. Two adults at the event were also critically injured.[48] When the prime minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, laid flowers in Southport the following day, he was met with "hostile shouts" from some of the public, with one asking, "How many more, Starmer? When are you going to do something?"[49]
A newly-created Southport-themed Telegram group became inundated with misinformation, including from the far-right National Front, prior to dissemination on social media platforms.[7] The Institute for Strategic Dialogue stated that the now-deleted "Southport Wake Up" group with 14,000 members on Telegram became integral in organising and promoting the subsequent riots, and inciting hatred and violence.[58] Disinformation was also spread on social media by the neo-Nazi group British Movement,[8] and accelerationist Telegram channels with links to the proscribed terror groups Atomwaffen Division and National Action were used to co-ordinate and organise the riots.[13]
Merseyside Police attempted to quell speculation by confirming that the name being circulated was not connected to the case and was not the suspect.[59] The police initially released the information that the suspect was a male, aged seventeen, from Banks in Lancashire, though born in Cardiff.[60][61] It was later reported that the suspect was a British citizen[62] born to Rwandan parents, that he had moved to the Southport area in 2013,[50][63] and that he had no known links to Islam.[64] The spread of misinformation has widely been given as the cause of the Southport riots.[56][65][66][67]
In a separate event, a woman was stabbed in Stirling on 3 August 2024.[68] Tommy Robinson falsely claimed on social media that an "alleged Muslim" had been involved in an incident in which three women had been stabbed. Other accounts spread the misinformation, contributing to tensions.[69][68][70] A man was arrested by the police, who described him as white and local to the area. The release of these details was unusual and done to curb misinformation.[68] Nick Lowles, the head of anti-racism charity Hope not Hate also apologised after falsely claiming a separate far-right acid attack on a Muslim woman.[71][72][73][74]
Analysis
For the Southport riot, far-right activists had been promoting the demonstration that started in Southport,[75] prior to involvement in the riot.[76]HuffPost described far-right activists as having "hijacked" the vigil for the victims,[77] and the Manchester Evening News reported "far right thugs, fuelled by lies, sought to exploit the tragedy".[78] Merseyside Police said on the night of the riot that they believed supporters of the EDL were involved in and organised the disturbances.[1][79][80]Hope Not Hate described them as supporters of Tommy Robinson.[81] Robinson denied the EDL were involved, while arguing that the anger in Southport was justified.[82] A prominent member of the neo-Nazi group Patriotic Alternative took part in the riot and another member helped to promote the event.[2][83]
The protests and riots were fuelled by wider Islamophobia, concerns over crime, anti-migration sentiment, xenophobia, nationalism and against perceived biases by the police and media.[42][33][35]The Independent described the riots as being "sparked by Islamophobic and racist sentiments", with examples of mosques being targeted and several violent racist attacks on ethnic minorities by the far-right in Liverpool, Hull and Bristol.[34]Politico described the cause of the violence as "Islamophobic resentment that had long brewed across the United Kingdom" as having surfaced, citing hate crimes associated with British Muslims as being the highest among any religious group in the country, according to government data.[32] According to Hope not Hate, although the stabbing in Southport was the catalyst, "most of these protests and riots are more broadly focused, expressive of a wider hostility to multiculturalism, anti-Muslim and anti-migrant prejudice, as well as a visceral streak of populist anti-Government sentiment".[70]
During the protests, widespread disinformation blaming immigrants and Muslims for crime were shared online.[42]Andrew Chadwick, a professor of political communication at Loughborough University, described a viral tweet as being "deliberately fabricated to generate hostility toward ethnic minorities and immigrants, and it's a potentially Islamophobic piece of propaganda".[82]Matthew Feldman, an expert on right-wing extremism, commented "It is difficult to think of a much better example of online harms breaching the real world than a fake story demonising Muslims and people of colour and leading to riots on the streets".[84] Former security minister Stephen McPartland accused Russia and Vladimir Putin's regime of involvement in the campaign of misinformation, describing it as "part of the Russian playbook".[85] Days later, The Independent reported that misinformation and conspiracy regarding the suspect remained and appeared to be the motivating force behind the protests.[62]
Extremism experts attributed the large far-right rally in London, led by Robinson a week prior to the protests as having boosted supporters, with Robinson playing a significant role in inciting outrage. The Financial Times described the evolution of the movement from "more formally organised white-supremacist groups into personality-driven splinter groups", while capitalising on social media for outreach and organising.[42] Police officials have described organisers as being in distinct far-right groups, organising online under banners such as "enough is enough", "save our kids", and "stop the boats" (the latter in reference to migrant crossings of the English Channel), with Robinson being a central figure in calls to hold riots.[35] Writing for The Observer,Shabana Mahmood, the Secretary of State for Justice, suggested the impact of the disorder would be "felt for months and years to come" as the volume of cases linked to the riots going through the courts would affect government plans to address a backlog of cases.[86]
Timeline
30 July
Southport Mosque, location of the first riot
At approximately 20:05 BST, hundreds of protesters gathered outside Southport Mosque chanting, "No surrender!" and "English till I die!"[75] Within several minutes, protesters clashed with police.[87] Protesters barricaded themselves and shouted "Tommy Robinson", a far-right activist who founded the EDL. Robinson had been arrested and then released two days prior,[88] before he fled the country, failing to appear at a High Court hearing to which he had been summonsed for alleged contempt of court.[89]
By 20:37, protesters began throwing objects at the mosque and police, leaving one officer injured. A police van was set alight as police deployed smoke canisters.[50] Merseyside Police requested officers from Greater Manchester Police, Cheshire Constabulary, Lancashire Police, and North Wales Police.[90] Riot police cleared the area near the mosque by 21:14[91] and protesters began dispersing shortly after that as night fell.[92] By 23:14, the riot had ended.[50] A local corner shop was damaged.[93]
The Merseyside Police Federation said that over fifty officers were injured at the Southport incident, with North West Ambulance Service reporting that twenty-seven were hospitalised and twelve were discharged at the scene.[94] Merseyside Police stated that eight officers were seriously injured and three police dogs were wounded.[95] One man from Standish was arrested on suspicion of possessing a bladed article.[96] Police put in place a 24-hour Section 60 Order giving officers further stop-and-search authority, and a Section 34 Order, allowing police to direct people who are engaging in certain activities away from the area. Merseyside Police deployed additional officers after the riot, and ambulance resources remained.[94]
The following day Hope Not Hate warned of the possibility of further demonstrations by far-right groups in several cities across the country.[85] Concerns of further violence were echoed by Merseyside Police.[97]
31 July
In London, the Metropolitan Police established public order conditions for a protest dubbed "Enough is Enough",[85] the slogan of Patriotic Alternative,[7] where far-right demonstrators clashed with police near Downing Street on 31 July.[98][99] The Metropolitan Police said that 111 people were arrested for offences including assaults on officers, possession of knives and offensive weapons and violent disorder.[100]
On the evening of 31 July, a group of approximately 40 demonstrators[101] gathered outside a Holiday Inn in Manchester, which was purportedly housing asylum seekers. Chants were heard of the group exclaiming "we want our country back", a phrase associated with far-right groups in the UK.[102] Two people were arrested.[103]
Demonstrations also broke out in the County Durham town of Hartlepool on the same evening. Objects including eggs and glass bottles were thrown at the police in response to the latter's riot shields.[104][105] Several police officers were injured and a police car was set alight. Eight people were arrested.[103]
There was also a protest outside a hotel being used by the government to house asylum seekers in Aldershot. Hampshire's police and crime commissioner Donna Jones described "mob-type" behaviour, and Hampshire Constabulary reported a crowd of 200 people, with a minority throwing objects and subjecting people to racial abuse.[106]
The organiser of a march in Middlesbrough was arrested by Cleveland Police on suspicion of possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.[107]
2 August
On the evening of 2 August, protesters gathered in Sunderland's Keel Square for a march around the city centre. Mounted officers from Northumbria Police attended the demonstration along with officers in riot gear. Police and protesters clashed outside a mosque in St Mark's Road after some of the marchers attempted to approach the building. The protesters chanted "save our kids" and "we want our country back", as well as slogans in support of Tommy Robinson, and Islamophobic slurs.[108][109] An Uber taxi was burnt and shops looted. Sunderland Central police station was set alight, and trains to Sunderland station were cancelled or diverted to St Peter's.[110][111] Four officers were hospitalised and 12 people were arrested.[112]
Around a hundred protesters shouting anti-immigrant slogans gathered in Liverpool on the same evening.[113][114]
3 August
On 3 August, numerous far-right rallies and counter-protests occurred in England. In Leeds, approximately 150 protesters chanted slogans such as "You're not English anymore", with around 250 counter-protesters chanting "Say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here".[115] In Manchester, 150 protesters took part in the "Enough is Enough" protest, while 350 locals turned out for the "Stop the Far Right" counter-protest.[116] In Nottingham, clashes were reported between opposing groups of protesters.[117]
Protest in Liverpool on 3 August
In Liverpool, two groups who had been taking part in separate protests joined up at the Pier Head before moving on to The Strand and Church Street.[118] Many shops were damaged and looted as Spellow Library, a community hub in Walton was torched and wheelie bins set alight. A police officer was assaulted after being pushed off his motorbike and another hit in the head by a chair as protesters threw bottles, bricks and a flare at officers. 23 people were arrested in relation to the disorder as two police officers were hospitalised with a broken jaw and broken nose respectively.[112]
Protest in Stoke-on-Trent on 3 August
In Stoke-on-Trent, a far-right march clashed with local counter-protest groups outside of a local mosque, with missiles thrown at riot police.[119][120] Three officers were injured and 10 people were arrested.[112]
In Manchester, 'scuffles' with police led to two arrests. Two people were arrested in Leicester city centre and a protest on The Headrow in Leeds led to one arrest.[112]
Twenty arrests were made in Blackpool after violent disorder broke out amongst nearly 1,000 protesters, with bottles and other projectiles thrown at police.[121] Attendees of the nearby annual punk festival Rebellion formed an anti-fascistcounter-protest[122] leading to a stand-off in which chairs, bottles and planks of wood were thrown.[123] Police reported there had also been "minor disruption" in Blackburn and Preston.[123]
Police in Bristol made multiple arrests and closed roads after protesters gathered in Castle Park,[124][125] where they clashed with counter-protesters who outnumbered them.[47] Anti-racist protesters left Castle Park and linked arms with others in front of the Mercure Hotel after receiving information that far-right protesters might target the location, as it housed asylum seekers. The anti-racist protesters arrived at the hotel shortly before the far-right group and the police. The protesters faced violent attempts by the far-right to force their way through the protective line and into the hotel.[126]Avon and Somerset Police arrested 14 people in relation to the protests.[112]
Jameson Street in Hull on 6 August
Twenty-five people were arrested in Hull, where rioters attacked police with bricks and fireworks, set vehicles alight and looted several shops, including a Shoe Zone which was set on fire, in unrest which left 11 police officers injured.[127] A video circulated online of a mob of rioters surrounding and attacking an Asian man in his car saying the word "kill" while shouting racial slurs.[128][34] A hotel housing asylum seekers was also attacked, with rioters throwing bricks and smashing windows.[129]
Outside England, there were also protests and violence in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Anti-immigration and anti-racism demonstrators faced off outside Belfast City Hall and were kept apart by riot police. A firework was thrown toward the anti-racism demonstration. The anti-immigration protesters then attempted to march to the Belfast Islamic Centre, but were blocked by police. Instead, they attacked several immigrant-owned businesses on Botanic Avenue. Violence continued in the Sandy Row area that night, where a supermarket and a café owned by immigrants were burnt out. Cars were burned and missiles were thrown at police, injuring three officers. Four people were arrested for the violence.[130][131] Elsewhere in Northern Ireland, the M5 motorway was closed due to protest activity in Newtownabbey,[132] and there were protests in Bangor and Carrickfergus.[133] In Cardiff, reports of a planned far-right protest, which never materialised, led to an anti-racism demonstration.[134]
A woman was stabbed on King Street in Stirling and there was online speculation from anti-Islam campaigner Tommy Robinson that the attacker was Muslim.[69]Police Scotland issued a public statement stating that the attacker was a white man and had been arrested.[135][136]
In Doncaster, a planned far-right protest was cancelled after only one person showed up.[137]
In Wath upon Dearne in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, there were demonstrations by anti-immigration and anti-racism protesters, with the former outnumbering the latter. There was then rioting outside a Holiday Inn Express hotel which had housed asylum seekers, where mask-wearing anti-immigration demonstrators threw objects at the building, smashing a number of windows and attempting to set the building on fire with a bin full of flammable material. They were also heard to chant "Get them out".[138][139] South Yorkshire Police reported that 51 officers, as well as police dogs and horses, were injured during the violence in Rotherham, where concrete blocks, chairs, fire extinguishers and tree branches were thrown at them.[140]
Greater Manchester Police issued a Section 34 dispersal notice covering Bolton.[138] There were again demonstrations by far-right protesters and anti-racist counter-protesters, who were kept separate by the police.[46]
In Middlesbrough rioters targeted houses and cars in a residential area, smashing windows.[141] Multiple cars were set alight and burning wheelie bins were pushed at a line of police officers, who were also targeted by missiles. Teesside University's Olympia Building had its windows broken, as did some houses and cars. Cleveland Police said that a number of properties on Parliament Road and the Crown Court building were significantly damaged,[142] and a total of 43 people were arrested in connection to the disorder.[143]
There was further rioting outside a second Holiday Inn Express hotel in Tamworth, which had been housing asylum seekers. Objects were thrown at the building and at the police, one of whom was injured, windows were smashed and part of the building was set on fire.[144][145] Three police dogs were injured, one of whom was hit in the head by a brick.[146]
In Solihull, there was a large anti-immigrant protest in the town centre, which forced the closure of the Touchwood shopping centre.[147] Later, in the evening, West Midlands Police were called to Hermitage Road, where they dispersed two groups of people who were outside The Hub mosque. Police stated they were investigating whether one of these groups may have been connected to an anti-racism protest that was held in Birmingham city centre earlier that day.[148]
Anti-racism counter-protesters gather in Lancaster.
Protests also occurred in Hull and Weymouth, with a counter-protest at the latter.[138] In Lancaster, two businesses had their windows smashed during a face off between far-right and anti-fascist protesters.[149] A protest in Sheffield led to one arrest for a public order offence,[150] as well as a far-right protester being injured after he was attacked.[151] Three people were arrested and two police officers injured during a protest in Weymouth.[152] Anti-racism protesters gathered in Cardiff following a far-right protest which had been planned, where they encountered some far-right demonstrators outside the Senedd, though no conflict materialised.[153][154]
5 August
In Birmingham, a group of locals gathered around a mosque in anticipation of a far-right protest which was rumoured to be scheduled in the area.[44] Individuals were observed keeping watch around the Village Islamic Centre, while nearby shops closed, a hospital sent staff home, and several doctors' surgeries also closed early preparing for potential violence.[155][44][156] Several vehicles close to Stechford police station were attacked amid the protest. A Sky News crew was followed by a man in a balaclava wielding a knife who slashed their van's tyre.[157] Before this, the Sky News broadcast from the scene was interrupted by a small group of these protesters, with one shouting "free Palestine" and "fuck the EDL".[44] A lone man outside at a pub in Yardley was also attacked by a group.[27] The Birmingham Mail reported that video footage of the incident shows it starting with words being exchanged before one member of the group starts assaulting the man. Others then join in the beating while some try to break up the attack.[158] Sky News' Midlands correspondent Becky Cotterill posted to X the next day that the manager of the pub had told her the man had goaded his attackers by using offensive language as they walked past.[159] He was barred from the pub for "inciting violence."[160]
In Plymouth, many businesses closed early, bus routes were diverted and a performance at the Theatre Royal was cancelled as two protests were planned to take place in the city.[161]Plymouth City Council warned residents to stay away from the city centre as Devon and Cornwall Police said they would be increasing their presence there.[162] Police lined Royal Parade as the two groups of protesters – one anti-fascist and the other far-right – faced off, throwing items including glass and stones at each other as one woman on the anti-fascist side was injured by a flying item.[163] As the protests continued into the night, bottles, bricks and fireworks were thrown and arrests were made. Three police officers were carried away from the scene after being injured,[164] with a police van being damaged. Shortly before 10 p.m., Devon and Cornwall Police reported that 150 officers were deployed in the city centre.[165] A TK Maxx's shopfront was smashed and brick paving was torn up in the city centre.[166] In a statement the police revealed that six arrests had been made relating to the disorder and 'several' officers were injured, as well as some members of the public, two of whom were hospitalised.[167]
Outside England, there was further violence in the Sandy Row area of Belfast, Northern Ireland. A business was targeted for a second time, and armoured police Land Rovers were attacked with petrol bombs and bricks. Police fired two plastic bullets at rioters in response. A man in his 50s was taken to hospital following a serious assault in which his attackers "stamped on his head" as other members of the public tried to shield him. Police were treating the attack as a racially-motivated hate crime.[168] Assistant Chief Constable Melanie Jones of the PSNI said there was loyalist paramilitary involvement in the violence.[5]
Bricks were thrown at police officers in Darlington after "two large groups of mostly males" gathered in the North Lodge Park area, which is near a mosque. There was one arrest.[169] A unity rally took place in Oxford at Carfax Tower.[170]
On 5 August, a list of at least 39 immigration law specialists, asylum support organisations and immigration services across England, originally published on the Telegram messaging app along with the phrase "no more immigration" and other anti-migration sentiment and widely circulated on social media, identified their addresses as targets for far-right demonstrations over the coming week.[173][174]
Aftermath
6 August
In the Shankill area of Belfast, masked men rammed a hijacked car into an estate agents, amid false claims that the agency was renting homes to asylum seekers.[175] Nearby, masked men attacked immigrants' homes and cars. In west Belfast, youths racially abused staff at a Middle Eastern shop. Altogether, six people (three men, three teenagers) were arrested over the disorder.[176]
One person was arrested and 37 dispersal orders issued in Durham over fears of potential unrest as reports of planned disorder circulated online. However, despite these reports, there were no reported incidents of criminal damage or disorder in the city.[177]
7 August
On 7 August, over 100 far-right and 30 counter protests were reportedly planned across the country in 41 of 43 police force areas in England and Wales, with their main focus being immigration centres and lawyers' offices.[178] However, very few far-right protesters turned out. Instead, anti-racist rallies were held across the country with counter protests dominating the evening,[179][180] involving approximately 25,000 counter-protesters.[181]
Parts of London, including Brentford, Harrow, North Finchley, and Walthamstow, saw large counter-protests at sites mentioned on the list of targets where far-right protesters were supposedly going to gather, with the latter attracting an estimated 10,000 demonstrators.[182][183] In Lewisham a rally was held, organised by Stand Up To Racism and other local anti-racist groups, to "show solidarity" with communities targeted by the far right, though there was no direct threat to the area. Some local businesses closed early, and market traders were told by the council to close "earlier than usual" ahead of potential protests. This led to some confusion about whether the far-right were also planning to gather in the area, but Mayor of Lewisham Brenda Dacres confirmed on the day to News Shopper that there was no intelligence of any planned far-right activity in Lewisham that night.[184] A similar situation happened in Stoke Newington in Hackney, where SUTR also organised a solidarity rally, although reporting by Hackney Gazette suggests it was because of rumours circulated online that a far-right demonstration had been planned for outside The Old Fire Station on Leswin Road. The Metropolitan Police declined to comment on whether it was aware of any far-right action planned in the area.[185]
The Washington Post reported that patients in multiple areas including Walthamstow received text messages explaining that their doctor’s offices would close early on Wednesday to avoid "threatened disruption" due to the riots.[186]
In Liverpool, a human shield was formed outside a former church, now used by a charity for asylum seekers, by hundreds of protesters.[187][188]Brighton saw a group of eight anti-immigration protesters surrounded by police to protect them from around 2,000 counter-protesters on Queen's Road; another protest in Hastings also saw a crowd of hundreds of anti-racism protesters.[189] Over 2,000 people attended a counter-protest in Old Market, Bristol, where scenes were mostly peaceful despite one arrest after a bottle and a brick were thrown at a police vehicle.[190] Around 500 anti-racist counter-protesters gathered in Westcliff-on-Sea, Southend, to oppose an expected far-right protest that did not materialise.[191] One individual in the area was arrested by police on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon.[192][193] Hundreds of anti-racism protesters gathered in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter following reports a refugee and migrant centre would be the target of a far-right protest.[194] Around 600 people gathered at Magdalen Road in Oxford over fears that a mosque would be targeted.[195] Counter-protests occurred elsewhere in the country, including Normanton, Derby,[196]Newcastle, Sheffield[197] and Swindon.[198] Smaller gatherings were also present in Accrington and Tamworth, the latter being only a few miles from a hotel which was attacked on 4 August.[199]
Some protests were not as peaceful as others seen across the country, however scenes were still calm compared to the riots seen a few days prior. Chatham saw around 150 anti-immigration protesters outnumbering around 50 counter-protesters;[200] in Aldershot, dozens of police had to separate two groups of protesters. Three people were arrested at a counter-protest in Northampton,[188] and one person was arrested in Bournemouth,[201] Blackpool, Middlesbrough and Portsmouth.[202] The latter was the site of the largest anti-immigration protest of the day, with 200 people gathering and blocking Mile End Road. Two people were arrested in nearby Southampton, where up to 400 counter-protesters outnumbered around 50 far-right protesters.[203]
Belfast saw its third consecutive night of disorder, with objects thrown at police and bins set alight. Five men were arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour.[204] As well as east and north Belfast, police were present in the village of Mallusk near Newtownabbey amid reports of a planned protest.[205] An anti-racism rally was attended by hundreds of people in Derry's Guildhall Square.[206]
Ricky Jones, a Dartford Labour councillor, was filmed addressing a crowd at a counter-protest in Walthamstow, East London, stating: "They are disgusting fascists and we need to cut all their throats and get rid of them all." in reference to the right-wing protests across the country. On 8 August, Jones was suspended by Labour and arrested following the release of the footage.[207][208] On 9 August, he was charged with encouraging violent disorder.[209] He pleaded not guilty on 6 September.[210]
8 August
Two people were arrested in Barnsley after two groups of demonstrators clashed in the town centre.[211]
Hundreds of anti-racists turned up to counter a planned protest outside a Holiday Inn rumoured to be housing asylum seekers in Crawley, West Sussex. BBC News reported there were four anti-immigration protesters, with one arrest made.[213]
In Paisley, Renfrewshire, 300 anti-racists, including representatives of trade unions and human rights organisations, protested against a planned far-right demonstration outside a hotel housing asylum seekers, but no anti-immigration protestors appeared.[214] A similar demonstration took place at the Cairn Hotel, which was also housing asylum seekers, in Bathgate, where around 150 people gathered in response to an organised far-right protest.[215]
10 August
There was unrest in Northern Ireland during the early hours, with a petrol bomb thrown at a mosque in Newtownards around 1am, and cars set alight in Belfast. A man was arrested in connection with the Newtownards attack.[216][217][218] Later that day, approximately 15,000 marched against racism in Belfast, organised by the United Against Racism group.[219][220][221]
Anti-racist demonstrations took place across Scotland in Dumfries, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow. In Edinburgh, hundreds of protesters peacefully gathered outside the Scottish Parliament Building, with similar scenes taking place at Glasgow's George Square, Dumfries' Planestanes and Dundee's City Square, outside Caird Hall. Despite the demonstrations being organised in response to rumoured anti-immigration protests in Scotland, there was no sign of far-right protests.[222]
In England, anti-racist protesters outnumbered far-right protesters, with 5,000 assembling outside the Reform UK headquarters in London, and 1,000 people protesting in Liverpool and Newcastle.[219]
A recurring protest against the war in Gaza in Cardiff was joined by many protesters opposing the far-right riots.[223] In Tenby, around 100 people gathered in Tudor Square after a far-right demonstration due to take place on the Esplanade was flagged on social media, however no such gathering took place.[224]
Stand Up to Racism organised 22 protests titled "Stop the Far Right" in cities across the United Kingdom including London, Manchester and Birmingham.[225]
Responses
Domestic
Starmer speaks to the media following an earlier COBRA meeting to discuss the violent disorder across the country, 6 August 2024.
After the Southport riot, Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote that those who had "hijacked the vigil for the victims" had "insulted the community as it grieves" and that rioters would feel the full force of the law.[226] On 1 August, and following a meeting with senior police officers, Starmer announced the establishment of a national violent disorder programme to facilitate greater cooperation between police forces when dealing with violent disorder.[227]
On 4 August, Starmer said that rioters "will feel the full force of the law" and told them "You will regret taking part in this, whether directly or those whipping up this action online and then running away themselves". He added "I won't shy away from calling it what it is – far-right thuggery".[228][229] Starmer later called an emergency response meeting of COBRA.[230] After the COBRA meeting he announced the establishment of a "standing army" of specialist police officers to address the violence, and help bring it to an end.[231] On 12 August, Downing Street confirmed that Starmer had cancelled his planned summer holiday in order to continue to address the violence.[232]
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned the Southport riot as appalling and requested a criminal investigation.[50] According to The Independent, Cooper was also "reviewing whether the far-right English Defence League [...] should be made a proscribed terrorist organisation", after its connection to the Southport riot,[85] a suggestion echoed by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner,[233] although the EDL has ceased to exist in a formal sense.[234]
When asked by a Sky News journalist about claims of two-tier policing, Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, grabbed the reporter's microphone and threw it on the ground, for which he later apologised.[236] Responding two days later, he said those asking the question were imperilling his officers.[237]
Following the emergence on 5 August of a list of immigration law specialists, asylum support organisations and immigration services to be targeted by far-right groups, the president of The Law Society wrote to the Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Home Secretary to express concerns.[240]
On 7 August, UK police announced their largest mobilisation since the 2011 England riots, due to the threat of further violence targeting asylum seekers and immigrants, with 6,000 riot police on duty throughout the country and 2,000 in reserve as reinforcements.[241] Two days later, Police Scotland announced the deployment of 120 of its officers to Belfast in order to help deal with violence in the city.[24] On 12 August, the UK government announced that despite a de-escalation in the riots over the weekend, government officials remained on "high alert".[242]
On 19 August, the UK government activated Operation Early Dawn, its measures to ease prison overcrowding, as more people were given custodial sentences over their roles in the riots. The measures, in place in the north of England and the Midlands, would see defendants waiting to appear in court held at police stations until a prison space became available for them.[243]Jo Stevens, the Secretary of State for Wales, said that the measures would be in force for "a very short period", typically "a matter of days, or at the most months".[244]
International
Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, the Philippines, Singapore, Tanzania, the United Arab Emirates and the United States issued travel advisories and safety warnings to the United Kingdom advising their citizens to exercise caution and avoid areas where protests are taking place.[245]
Russia called on the British government to "refrain from any unjustified or unproportionate [sic] use of violence against protesters and ensure their right to freedom of assembly".[246]
The visiting Sri Lanka national cricket team raised concerns about England Tests due to the riots. The England and Wales Cricket Board responded by reassuring Sri Lanka Cricket and the team about the security arrangements in place.[247]
In Pakistan, officials charged a man with cyberterrorism after he was linked with the Channel3Now website, which spread false claims about the Southport attacker.[248][249] He was later acquitted as local police did not find evidence identifying him as the originator of the false claims.[250]
On 3 August, the Ministry of Justice began discussions about magistrates' courts in England and Wales remaining open overnight to preliminary rule on suspects arrested, due to the anticipated increase in people held in custody for riot related offences. This also occurred during the 2011 England riots.[251] This proposal was criticised by Nazir Afzal, a former Chief Crown Prosecutor, saying such a measure would worsen the backlog in British courts.[252]
By 5 August, police had arrested 378 people,[100] and the first court hearings were held on a range of charges including violent disorder, assault on an emergency worker, and burglary, with some defendants pleading guilty.[253][169]
Charges and prosecutions
On 6 August, a charge for "using threatening words or behaviour intending to stir up racial hatred" was made following Facebook posts.[254]
On 7 August, the first sentences for crimes committed during the riots were handed out to three men who took part in unrest in Southport and Liverpool. The three were sentenced to periods of between 20 months and three years in prison.[255]
On 8 August, a further 21 people received prison sentences for their roles in the riots.[256] Among those sentenced on 9 August was a 28-year-old man from Leeds, who received 20 months in prison for stirring up racial hatred online during the riots, after making a Facebook post stating that people should "smash the fuck" out of a hotel used by the government to house asylum seekers awaiting processing.[257] Two men were sentenced to 20 months and 18 months in prison respectively for affray after a counter-protest in Leeds city centre on 3 August.[258] A 34-year-old woman was also sent to prison for 20 months after pushing a burning wheelie bin towards a line of police officers during a demonstration in Middlesbrough.[259]
On 9 August, a 55 year-old woman was arrested for circulating a fake name for the Southport attacker on her X account before his real identity was disclosed.[260]
On 12 August, two 12-year-old boys were among those convicted. They became the youngest people to be convicted following their involvement in disorder in Southport and Manchester.[261] On 13 August, the National Police Chiefs' Council said 1,024 had been arrested and 575 had been charged in relation to the riots.[262] On the same day, the case of a 13-year-old girl involved in rioting in Aldershot was among those to be heard. She pleaded guilty to violent disorder after being captured on film kicking and punching the entrance of Potters International Hotel, which was being used to house asylum seekers.[263] On 14 August, a 53-year-old woman from Cheshire was sentenced to 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to sending a communication threatening death or serious harm over a Facebook post in which she suggested a mosque should "be blown up with the adults inside".[264]
On 15 August, a 30-year-old man who kicked and punched a Black man in the face during a riot in Manchester was sentenced to a prison term of 3 years. The prosecutor said the attack was "motivated by racial hatred".[265] Also on 15 August, a 15-year-old boy from Sunderland was the first person to be charged with the offence of rioting following the unrest.[266]
On 16 August, two men who were part of a mob that attacked a car containing three Romanian men in Hull on 3 August were sentenced to prison terms of six years and four years eight months respectively.[267] Also on 16 August, a 35-year-old man was sentenced to three years for posting false information about the identity of the Southport attacker and praising rioters on his X account which had over 90,000 followers at the time of his arrest.[268]
On 19 August, two men who took part in violence outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham were each sentenced to two years and eight months in prison.[269] Those sentenced on 20 August included a man who threw bottles, bricks and three concrete blocks at police officers in Bristol, and who received two and a half years in prison.[270]
On 21 August, a man from Hull was sentenced to three years in prison for trying to smash the window of a police van with a concrete block.[271]
On 28 August it was reported that an 11-year-old child was among people arrested in a series of dawn raids conducted by police.[272]
On 18 September, a 25-year-old man from Birmingham was sentenced to two years and four months in prison, having pleaded guilty to distributing threatening and abusive material intended to stir up racial hatred. The man, who is Asian, posed as a white far-right extremist and used a Telegram chat with over 10,000 members to call for violence in mainly Muslim areas of the city.[273]
Lucy Connolly
On 2 September, Lucy Connolly, a childminder, and the wife of a West Northamptonshire Conservative councillor, pled guilty to distributing material with the intention of stirring up racial hatred by writing a social media post that intended to stir up racial hatred.[274] In the post she had called for hotels housing asylum seekers to be set alight.[275]X subsequently said the post had not violated their rules.[276] At a hearing held at Birmingham Crown Court on 17 October, Judge Melbourne Inman KC sentenced Connolly to 31 months in prison, with 40% to be served, the remainder on license.[277] A 26 year old man, Tyler Kay, who had shared the tweet, was previously sentenced to 38 months for the same offence.[278]
Telegram groups
In October 2024 the BBC confronted a 20-year-old man, who was an administrator in the "Southport Wake Up" Telegram messaging group, known as "Mr AG", and revealed him to be Charles-Emmanuel Mikko Rasanen, a neo-Nazi from Helsinki, Finland who shared online instructions on how to commit arson with the UK rioters.[279] The channel had been set up within hours of the stabbing and soon amassed a huge following. It shared details about local protests but quickly descended into making violent threats against named individuals and locations. On 5 August Telegram appeared to remove the channel, which at that time had almost 15,000 members. It was unclear if Telegram made this decision itself or if it was at the direction of the authorities in the UK.[280]
Peter Lynch
Lynch was at the riot outside a Holiday Inn Express hotel housing asylum seekers in Manvers, Rotherham on 4 August 2024. He was recorded yelling "scum", "child killers", "protect my children", "we are on the streets now to protect our kids" and "you are protecting people who are killing our kids and raping them" at police during the riot.[281] He was pictured holding a placard asserting the corruption of MPs, police chiefs, TV media and judges and the judiciary.[282]
He was arrested and charged with violent disorder for which he pleaded guilty and was jailed for 2 years and 8 months.[283] In sentencing Lynch on 22 August,[284] Judge Jeremy Richardson KC said that Lynch's sign and protest were not unlawful, but his verbal abuse towards police officers during the "racist incident" crossed the line.[285]
Lynch died in HMP Moorland two months into his sentence on 19 October 2024, aged 61.[281] Respects were paid to Lynch at the 'Unite the Kingdom' march in London a week later.[286]
Reactions
The Labour MP for Southport, Patrick Hurley, said on BBC Radio 4's Today on 31 July, that the rioters were not local residents, but were "thugs who'd got the train in" and were "utterly disrespecting the families of the dead and injured children, and [...] the town".[287] The rioters had broken windows of Southport Mosque; Hurley told Today that people "were using the horrific incident on Monday, the deaths of three little kiddies, for their own political purposes".[288] The Liverpool Region Mosque Network and the Muslim Association of Britain released statements condemning the riot.[50]
The Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, condemned the violence, stating: "The levels of intimidation and threat to life have no place in a functioning democracy". He called for Parliament to be recalled over the riots and suggested there was a widespread impression of "two-tier policing" as a result of "soft policing" during Black Lives Matter protests, which he said contributed to a "sense of injustice".[289]Conservative former Home Secretary Priti Patel called Farage's comments deeply misleading and "simply not relevant right now". She told Times Radio: "There's a clear difference between effectively blocking streets or roads being closed to burning down libraries, hotels, food banks and attacking places of worship. What we have seen is thuggery, violence, racism." Patel also wrote to the Prime Minister and Home Secretary, asking them to recall parliament.[290]
Farage was criticised by the former head of UK counter-terrorism, Neil Basu, for questioning whether the truth was being withheld from the public, with Basu accusing Farage of inciting violence and creating conspiracy theories. Farage was also accused of giving legitimacy to acts of violence by Steve Rotheram, the Mayor of Liverpool City Region, after releasing a video in which he said he did not support violence, but the protests were "nothing to what could happen over the course of the next few weeks".[291]
On 2 August, ahead of anticipated protests the following weekend, the Muslim Council of Britain recommended that mosques "review and strengthen their security protocols",[292][293] and counter-protests by anti-racists were organised under the banner of "Stop the far right: Don't let the racists divide us", predominantly by Stand Up to Racism.[45] Church leaders in Northern Ireland condemned calls for anti-Islamic protests in the province at the weekend.[294] Leaders from Jewish, Sikh, and Hindu religious communities also released statements condemning the anti-Islamic rioting.[295][296][297]
Hampshire's police and crime commissioner and Conservative politician Donna Jones released a controversial statement that was widely criticised, in which she said that arresting people was "treating the symptom and not the cause" and otherwise appeared to agree with the protesters.[298][299] The media release was later removed from the Police and Crime Commission's website.[298] Susan Scott, a Conservative Party councillor on Stockton-on-Tees council, resigned after making anti-Muslim remarks.[300][301]
Responding to a tweet with footage of the disorder that said the riots were due to the "effects of mass migration and open borders", Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, tweeted on 4 August, "Civil war is inevitable". His comment was condemned by the Prime Minister's official spokesman. Musk had previously restored Tommy Robinson's account (after Robinson had been banned under Twitter's previous owners) and interacted with him on the platform.[302][303] After the incident on 5 August in Yardley, Birmingham,[304] Musk went on to refer to the Prime Minister as "two-tier Keir" and ask, "Why aren't all communities protected in Britain?", describing the government as "wokestasi".[305][306][72] Musk later shared an image promoting a conspiracy theory that claimed "detainment camps" for the rioters were being constructed on the Falkland Islands. He subsequently deleted the image, which had originally been posted by Ashlea Simon, the co-leader of Britain First.[307]
On 5 August, Neil Basu said that the worst of the far-right violence should be treated as terrorism; "Not only does it fit the definition of terrorism, it is terrorism", in reference to attempting to burn down buildings occupied by Muslims or asylum seekers. He further described actions as a "racial cause designed to intimidate a section of the public".[308]
A YouGov poll of 2,114 people on 5–6 August found that 7% supported the riots, while 34% supported the broader peaceful protests; 21% of Reform UK voters supported the riots, 9% of Conservative voters, 3% of Labour voters, and 1% of Liberal Democrat voters.[309][310] Another YouGov poll of 2,163 British adults in the same period saw immigration identified as the number one issue facing the country (51%), above the economy (44%), and crime (39%).[311] In July, the figures were immigration 41%, the economy 53%, and crime 20%. This represented a 10 point rise in importance for immigration, and a 19 point rise for crime. According to YouGov, "It is impossible to unpick how much of the recent shift is because of the stabbings, and how much are as a result of the week-long rioting since then."[311] The concern about crime figure is the highest value in polls since 2011, when there were also major national riots.[311]
On 7 August, Wired magazine reported that Telegram had removed a group set up in the wake of the Southport stabbing.[280]
On 9 August, King Charles III spoke by telephone with the Prime Minister and senior police officers. A statement was subsequently released by Buckingham Palace describing how "The King shared how he had been greatly encouraged by the many examples of community spirit that had countered the aggression and criminality from a few with the compassion and resilience of the many".[312] Later, on 20 August, the King visited Southport, where he met those affected by the riots and members of the community who had participated in reconciliation efforts.[313] The following day, he hosted the victims' families at Clarence House in London.[314]
Notes
1 2 Counter-protests and minor unrest continued until 10 August.
Far-right politics are a recurring phenomenon in the United Kingdom since the early 20th century, with the formation of Nazi, fascist, antisemitic, and Islamophobic movements. One of the earliest examples of fascism in the UK can be found as early as 1923 with the formation of British Fascisti by Rotha Lintorn-Orman. It went on to acquire more explicitly racial connotations, being dominated in the 1960s and 1970s by self-proclaimed white nationalist organisations that opposed non-white and Asian immigration. The idea stems from belief of white supremacy, the belief that white people are superior to all other races and should therefore dominate society. Examples of such groups in the UK are the National Front (NF), the British Movement (BM) and British National Party (BNP), or the British Union of Fascists (BUF). Since the 1980s, the term has mainly been used to describe those groups, such as the English Defence League, who express the wish to preserve what they perceive to be British culture, and those who campaign against the presence of non-indigenous ethnic minorities.
Stop Islamisation of Europe (SIOE) is a pan-European counter-jihad organisation with the stated goal of "preventing Islam from becoming a dominant political force in Europe". It is a political interest group which has been active in Denmark and has conducted anti-Islamic protests in the United Kingdom. The group originated out of the joining of the Danish group Stop Islamisation of Denmark with English anti-Islam activists.
Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon, better known as Tommy Robinson, is a British anti-Islam campaigner and one of the UK's most prominent far-right activists. Since 28 October 2024, he has been serving an 18-month prison sentence for contempt of court.
A series of riots took place between 6 and 11 August 2011 in cities and towns across England, which saw looting and arson, as well as mass deployment of police and the deaths of five people.
In early August 2011, England was struck by riots, the worst in the country in decades. The timeline of the events of the riots spanned from 6–10 August.
Racism in the United Kingdom has a long history and includes structural discrimination and hostile attitudes against various ethnic minorities. The extent and the targets have varied over time. It has resulted in cases of discrimination, riots and racially motivated murders.
Unite Against Fascism (UAF) is a British anti-fascist group.
The Proud Boys is a North American far-right, neo-fascist militant organization that promotes and engages in political violence. The group's leaders have been convicted of violently opposing the federal government of the United States, including its constitutionally prescribed transfer of presidential power. It has been called a street gang and was designated as a terrorist group in Canada and New Zealand. The Proud Boys are opposed to left-wing and progressive groups and support Donald Trump, the former president of the United States and current President-elect of the United States. While Proud Boys leadership has denied being a white supremacist organization, the group and some of its members have been connected to white supremacist events, ideologies, and other white-power groups throughout its existence.
Patriot Prayer is an American far-right group founded by Joey Gibson in 2016 and based in Vancouver, Washington, a suburban city in the Portland metropolitan area. Since 2016, the group has organized several dozen pro-gun, pro-Trump rallies held in cities in the Pacific Northwest and Northern California. Often met with large numbers of counter-protesters, attendees have repeatedly clashed with left-wing groups in the Portland area. Far-right groups, such as the Proud Boys, have attended the rallies organized by Patriot Prayer, as well as white nationalists, sparking controversy and violence.
2020s in United Kingdom history refers to significant political and societal historical events in the United Kingdom in the 2020s, presented as a historical overview in narrative format.
John Earle Sullivan, also known as Activist John, is an American political activist and self-identified photojournalist who participated in the January 6, 2021 United States Capitol attack. In November 2023, he was convicted by a jury of felony obstruction of an official proceeding, civil disorder, and five misdemeanors.
Donna Jones is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner since 2021. She was the youngest member of the judiciary in England and Wales when appointed to be a magistrate in 2005.
Tusitala John Toese also known as Tiny, is a convicted felon. He is a member of the Proud Boys, a far-right group that engages in political violence in the United States. He was, and still is, a member of the Portland area far-right group Patriot Prayer, prior to joining the Proud Boys and has been convicted of multiple criminal charges for violence at rallies.
In August and September 2022, Leicester, England, saw a period of religious and ethnic tension between predominately British Hindus and British Muslims of South Asian origin. The unrest saw rioting, protest marches, sloganeering and ethnic violence between the two populations. It was also preceded by social media campaigning, misinformation and hate propaganda. Muslim apprehensions of what they alleged as "Hindutva fascism" entering their neighbourhoods was evidently the main driver behind the unrest. Community leaders and analysts point to the Indian celebrations following the India–Pakistan 2022 Asia Cup match on 28 August as a catalyst, which saw a reaction from Pakistani fans.
On 29 July 2024, a mass stabbing targeting children occurred at a dance studio in Southport, Merseyside, United Kingdom. Three children were killed, and ten others – eight of whom were children – were injured. Axel Rudakubana was arrested at the scene and has been charged with three counts of murder, ten counts of attempted murder, and possession of a bladed article. He was 17 years old at the time of the incident.
Channel3Now was a website based in Pakistan which aggregated crime news while presenting itself as an American-style TV channel. Launched in 2023, the website was shut down in August 2024 after sharing fake news which fuelled riots in the United Kingdom. On August 20, 2024, a person linked to the website was arrested in Pakistan on charges of cyberterrorism; the case was later dropped.
Nick Marcel Tenconi is a British politician, personal trainer and activist who has been the interim leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) since June 2024. He is also a leader of the right-wing pressure group Turning Point UK.
↑ Demony, Catarina; Davison, Marissa (8 August 2024). "With let-up in UK's far-right riots, anti-racism groups plan next steps". Reuters. Archived from the original on 9 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024. In Walthamstow and at other counter-protesters across the country, many pro-Palestinian activists turned up with flags and signs saying 'Make love not war'.
1 2 3 White, Nadine (5 August 2024). "Street beatings, stabbing and mosques under siege: the horrifying racist attacks carried out by far-right mobs". The Independent. Archived from the original on 5 August 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024. A Black man beaten by a mob, an Asian man stabbed at a train station and mosques under siege - just some of the horrifying racist incidents carried out by far-right thugs in England this week. The country has been engulfed by racist riots over the past few days, in the wake of the killings of three young girls in Southport on Monday.
"Demonstrations in the UK, August 7, 2024". U.S. Embassy & Consulates in the United Kingdom. US Department of State. 7 August 2024. Archived from the original on 8 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
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