After experiencing the pain of riots, Britain should reflect on itself
2024-08-12
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The Olympics are being held in the east of the English Channel, while riots are happening in the west. The Paris Olympics have closed, but the riots in the UK, which can last for more than a week, have not shown any signs of stopping. Over the past weekend, the riots even spread from England to Scotland and Northern Ireland, which is not very peaceful.
According to CCTV News, the National Police Chiefs' Council of the United Kingdom reported that as of the 10th, 779 people had been arrested in the protests. British Justice Secretary Mahmoud said that the impact of the recent riots in the United Kingdom may last for months or even years.
The court system is busy
The riot was triggered by a murder case in Southport, England on July 29, when a 17-year-old man broke into a dance training institution and stabbed three girls to death indiscriminately with a knife, injuring many others. Afterwards, rumors spread, with some instigators claiming that the suspect was an illegal immigrant from a Muslim country. Although the police came out to clarify that "the suspect was born in the UK," the riot had already been ignited, and the local mosque in Southport was damaged.
Caption: British Prime Minister Starmer. Source: GJ
Afterwards, physical clashes between protesters and police occurred in many British cities including Liverpool, Plymouth, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Glasgow, etc. Mosques were vandalized, and even the Prime Minister's residence and Churchill's statue in London were pelted with stones.
The British police had to take action, and they were somewhat thankful that the newly appointed Prime Minister Starmer was an old hand at dealing with riots. 13 years ago, Starmer, then the Attorney General of the United Kingdom, had dealt with riots caused by the shooting of an African man by the police. Now facing a bigger battle, Starmer did not compromise, but chose to speed up the arrests and handle the case. He emphasized on the 6th that those who participated in the riots will face "full sanctions of the law", and those who have been charged or detained will be quickly tried in court within a week.
As expected, after Starmer set the tone, the British court system started running at full speed. Justice Secretary Mahmoud said that she and her subordinates had been working overtime to deal with people who were charged by the police during the week-long riots. She also said that the backlog of criminal courts has set a record and prisons are close to being overcrowded, which is why she believes that the impact of the riots may last for months or even years.
The quick and decisive solution that Starmer wants may not be achieved. The problem lies in the UK's lengthy judicial procedures and low law enforcement efficiency.
Social media is being targeted
British Home Secretary Cooper said that social media should "take some responsibility" for the violent riots. At the same time, male and female announcers appeared on British TV screens and outdoor screens, reminding: "Never forward content that incites racial hatred on social media, otherwise you may face arrest." The announcer also said that criminal prosecution agencies are keen to search for crimes related to incitement on social media, "This is not an empty threat, but real."
Picture caption: British police confront protesters. Source: GJ
The British government even said that there was a problem of far-right forces spreading false information on social platforms. "Violent riots were incited online, which is a crime, and this happened on your platforms. No matter where you are, you should abide by the law." Starmer said this about social media.
As the words fell, in Leeds, a 28-year-old British man was sentenced to 20 months in prison by a judge for posting a post on Facebook; in Northampton, a 26-year-old British man was sentenced to 3 years and 2 months in prison for similar crimes.
Researcher Xin Hua, director of the EU Research Center of Shanghai International Studies University and deputy secretary-general of the Shanghai European Society, said that when globalization was advancing by leaps and bounds, Britain accepted a large number of immigrants, who occupied a large number of blue-collar jobs and worked hard to promote the culture and religious customs of their original places of residence, which aroused dissatisfaction among the British people. At the same time, it also deepened the dissatisfaction of the British grassroots with the establishment elites who advocated the concept of globalization, thus triggering the rise of radical right-wing populist forces.
Analysts pointed out that the UK did not adopt the same attitude when facing riots in other countries or regions. "Do not do to others what you do not want others to do to you." After experiencing the bitter experience of social media inciting riots, the UK should reflect on itself.
Jiang Haofeng
