Far-right riots in the UK have plunged the country into the worst wave of violence in more than a decade. The circulation of fake news The investigation into the identity of the murderer of three girls in Southport on 29 July, who some radical agitators linked to Islam and asylum seekers, has brought to light the racism and xenophobia of a section of the population, which sees the Immigrants as a threat. A racism encouraged by right-wing political leaders and which, despite being rooted in some sectors of British society for decades, has taken on a new dimension in recent years as a result of the Brexit and the crisis due to the rising cost of living.
The degradation of public services and the impoverishment of the working classes are two of the main factors that explain the Rise of racist discourse. At least seven of the 10 poorest towns in the UK have suffered riots in recent days – including Middlesbrough, Blackpool and Liverpool – most of them located in the country’s formerly industrialised north. Efforts by recent governments to cut costs on immigration have meant that many of these towns have become the destination for a substantial number of asylum seekers, due to the more affordable accommodation price. A perfect cocktail for the emergence of tension and the violence experienced in recent weeks.
The humanist Paul Gilroyone of the country’s leading theorists on racism and racialization, agrees that the economic factor It is one of the causes of the rise of xenophobic speeches, but it emphasizes that there is also a factor cultural “The economic question is absolutely relevant, but it is not enough to explain this situation. The people who look after us when we go to the doctor and those who look after the elderly and the sick are immigrants. The European Union financed libraries and schools in the poorest areas of the country, and yet many people do not want to recognise this because it makes them traitors and accomplices of the foreign invasion,” says the professor of the University College de Londres.
Anti-immigration rhetoric
Gilroy argues that Brexit brought about a change in the way immigration is dealt with by institutions, driven by the Conservative PartyThe professor points out that, although there have always been critical voices regarding the arrival of foreigners within the formation, in recent years an openly racist discourse has been accepted by members of the Government itself. “They launch this type of populist message because they believe that is what people identify with. They believe that if they use this rhetoric they can stir up the mood of voters,” says the professor, who points out that Labor Party has also contributed to the spread of this discourse at certain times in its history.
The anti-immigration rhetoric used by recent conservative governments has permeated a significant part of the populationdespite its inability to reduce the arrival of immigrants. Proof of this was the more than four million votes obtained by the populist right-wing party Reform UK in the last elections – 14.3% of the total. The fixation on the costs related to the accommodation of asylum seekers, promoted by the Government of former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak – who approved the use of barges and disused military bases as alternatives to hotels – with the aim of reducing expenditure on accommodation – was reflected in the attacks on two of these hotels by hundreds of violent protesters last weekend.
Wave of misinformation
Violence fueled by the far right is nothing new in the UK, where football-related ultra groups – such as the Islamophobic English Defence League (EDL) – were the cause of major riots in the last decades of the last century and in the early 2000s. The proliferation of social networkshowever, has provided a new tool for the organization of these groups and for the spread of fake news with the aim of destabilize the countryThe government is seeking legal avenues for tech companies to engage further in the fight against disinformation, while also looking into the role third countries may have played in fuelling the unrest.
The Executive has insisted that these groups do not represent the majority sentiment of British society, despite the noise generated by the disturbances in recent days. According to a survey published this week by YouGovonly one in three Britons are in favour of anti-immigration protests and only one 7% They are supporters of use of violenceThe counter-demonstrations called by anti-racist organisations on Wednesday have been an example of this and have helped to deflate the wave of violence, although many analysts agree that only the growth of the battered British economy and the fight against inequality will help to resolve the underlying problem.
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