The right-wing extremist riots in England show no sign of stopping, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer wants to take tough action against the rioters. The immediate trigger for the unrest was the knife attack by a 17-year-old with Rwandan roots in Southport, in which three girls were killed. However, the causes of the explosion of violence lie deeper, as journalist Bettina Schulz explains in London.
Bettina Schulz
Journalist
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The free Journalist Bettina Schulz reports from Great Britain for various German media, including “Zeit”.
SRF News: What kind of people took part in the riots?
Bettina Schulz: It is no coincidence that the riots occurred primarily in the north of England. The cities affected were those with a very low standard of living. In recent decades, a lot of industry, coal mining and shipbuilding have collapsed there, and there are far too few jobs.
Envy and dissatisfaction provide the breeding ground for the anger that has now erupted.
People are very poor, bitter and frustrated. They are disappointed with the government “down there in London” that doesn’t care about them. At the same time, they see migrants coming to the country, receiving social housing and vouchers to shop in supermarkets and their children being able to go to school. Envy and dissatisfaction are among the reasons for the anger that has now erupted.
What do people’s problems have to do with migration?
It was dangerous that the Conservative government promised to solve the immigration problem by leaving the EU. The people of the north of Great Britain voted overwhelmingly for Brexit in 2016. But not only did Brexit not solve the problem – the new immigration system actually led to more immigrants coming to Great Britain than before.
The Conservatives have heated up the mood in the country enormously – in order to win the elections.
As a result, the conservative government promised to solve the problem of illegal immigrants by deporting them to Rwanda. At the same time, the conservatives heated up the mood in the country because they hoped to win the election. Now that part of society that had hoped that the migration problem could be solved by deporting them to Rwanda is disappointed.
Test for former chief prosecutor Keir Starmer
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Legende:
Reuters/Henry Nicholls
For Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has only been in office for a month, the riots are the first test. Starmer seems well prepared for this: he was head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) when English cities were shaken by serious riots in August 2011.
Unlike today, these were not right-wing extremist riots. The trigger was the police fatally shooting a man of Irish-Jamaican roots. The riots began in London and spread to other major cities. Several people died.
How can the country get out of this negative spiral?
The new Labour government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer is trying to take tough action and issue swift court rulings against rioters. But the problems underlying the unrest are more long-term: the integration of migrants must be improved – and the anti-migrant sentiment that politicians have deliberately whipped up must be calmed down. There must be more effort to promote mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence.
The health system barely functions anymore, the infrastructure is dilapidated, and the schools are overwhelmed.
Should we also address the poor living conditions of the people in the north?
That’s right. Since 2016, the Conservative government has been almost exclusively concerned with Brexit, and the people have been neglected. Given the many changes in government, it no longer pursued “normal” politics – and this is now showing in the country. The health system is barely functioning, the infrastructure is dilapidated, the schools are overwhelmed. Now investors’ trust in a stable government must be restored so that jobs can be created. The new Labour government is doing this – but it will take years before real improvements can be seen.
The interview was conducted by Corina Heinzmann.
