The biggest riots in 13 years broke out in the UK! European far-right forces are ready to move
2024-08-11
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On July 29, a 17-year-old man attacked a children's dance class with a knife in Southport, a seaside town near Liverpool, England, killing three children and injuring eight.
There were rumors online that the suspect was an illegal immigrant. In order to refute the rumors, the police disclosed the suspect's identity. Although the suspect was born in the UK, the "immigration issue" became a hot topic in British society, and the extreme right forces called on their followers to take to the streets, and then the riots began to spread.
The biggest riots in 13 years—Who is creating the confrontation?
More than a thousand people attended a vigil for the victims the night after the suspect's knife attack. Violence broke out near a local mosque, with people throwing bricks, bottles and other debris at the mosque and police. A police car was set on fire and 27 officers were taken to hospital.
Riots then broke out across England, from Plymouth on the south coast to Sunderland in the northeast. Similar events occurred in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where crowds attacked mosques and asylum seeker homes, cars and buildings including libraries were set on fire, and shops were looted.
In south Belfast, anti-immigrant and anti-racism protesters clashed outside City Hall in a tense standoff, with a local judge saying there was a "racist element" to the violence.
British police said the violence was believed to involve supporters of the now-defunct far-right group the English Defence League.
On social media, far-right activist Tommy Robinson, founder of the Defend Britain Alliance, posted inflammatory messages to his nearly one million followers while on holiday in Cyprus.
British Prime Minister Starmer: This is an organized act of violence
British Prime Minister Starmer, who has just taken office for a month, has been challenged and condemned what he called "acts of extreme right-wing violence." "There is no doubt that those who engage in violence will face the full force of the law," Prime Minister Starmer said in a statement.
"I promise you will regret taking part in this mayhem," Starmer said, "both those who took part directly and those who incited it online and then got away with it themselves. This was not a protest. This was an act of organised violence."
Starmer's online incitement refers to the spread of rumors by far-right organizations, and also responds to Musk's remarks on social media. On August 4, Musk commented on the riots in the UK on social media. Some netizens posted that the riots were the result of "immigration and open borders", and Musk commented that "civil war is inevitable" in the UK.
Although Starmer did not mention Musk by name, he warned on social media that "criminal law should be applied both online and offline" and stressed that "we will not tolerate attacks on mosques or Muslim communities."
Current opposition leader and former prime minister Rishi Sunak said the riots "have nothing to do with the tragedy in Southport." He said, "We fully support (the police) in dealing with these criminals quickly."
Far-right forces across Europe are on the move
More than a month ago, the British Labour Party defeated the Conservative Party, which had been in power in the UK for 14 years, and Starmer took office. During the Conservative Party's rule, it promised to reduce immigration in response to public dissatisfaction, but it has not yet been truly implemented. In the British election, the populist right-wing party Reform UK used the "immigration topic" to emerge as a dark horse and won 14.3% of the popular vote, ranking third in the UK after the two major parties.
The rise of the far right in the UK is mirrored by the gains made by far-right parties in the European Parliament elections. The political platform of the party proposed by Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Reform Party, focuses on attacking immigrants, as is the case with populist right-wing parties, and portrays them as the root of all the country’s problems.
Looking at the whole of Europe, it is facing the impact of a wave of right-wing populism. In last month's European Parliament elections, the number of MPs from the far right and far right parties hit a record high. French President Macron announced early parliamentary elections in France. The French far right won a big victory in the first round of voting, but fortunately, the left made a shocking reversal in the second round of voting, which scared the hell out of them. The Netherlands has established a government composed of far-right people.
There are many reasons for the rise of populism, which often vary from country to country. But what they have in common is that many European countries are suffering from economic downturn, high immigration and rising energy prices. These real problems facing Europe, coupled with the restlessness of far-right forces, will make the future full of uncertainty.
