Far-right protests have erupted across Britain following a fatal mass stabbing in Southport at a Taylor Swift themed dance class.
Six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar have died from their injuries, while five other children were left in a critical condition. Two heroic adults, yoga teacher Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes, were also left critical following their attempts to protect the children.
Misinformation and hatred stoked by the likes of social media trolls and Tommy Robinson supporters left the town of Southport in turmoil as violence spread across the country. The religious and ethnic background of the suspect, identified as 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana, has been used to spark violent hatred towards Islamic and non-white communities following the attacks. Now charged with three counts of murder, ten counts of attempted murder, and one count of possession of a bladed article, false claims that Rudakubana is a Muslim immigrant named "Ali al Shakati" who arrived in the UK by boat last year as an asylum seeker began circulating in the press.
Rumours have been fuelled by several far-right figures, including the likes of Tommy Robinson, Andrew Tate, and Nigel Farage who haven't been shy in sharing their views on social media. Founder of the English Defence League, Tommy Robinson, has defended the disorder, calling the riots a result of “legitimate concern.” Tate’s baseless claims that Rudakubana arrived in the UK on a small boat have been viewed over four million times on social media.
As we leave a week of tense uncertainty, ‘protesters’ over the weekend gone took to Southport, Aldershot, Sunderland, Liverpool, London, and many other towns and cities across the UK to continue the disorder. Rioters in Rotherham and Tamworth set ablaze two Holiday Inns thought to be housing asylum seekers. One police officer in Tamworth was injured while residents and staff of the Rotherham hotel remain “terrified,” according to a statement made by Assistant Chief Constable Lindsey Butterfield.
At least 147 people were arrested in the immediate aftermath with Prime Minister Keir Starmer warning that those involved in the violence would face the full force of the law. Three men have since been jailed in the first Crown Court sentences amidst growing riots across the country. One man has been sentenced to 20 months for violent disorder and a racially aggravated public order offence, whilst another man has been jailed for two-and-a-half-years on violent disorder and arson charges as he was caught on CCTV setting fire to a police van. In the days following arrests, the addresses of 39 immigration law specialists’ offices, asylum support charities and immigration services were identified as targets for far-right demonstrations. Although a standing army of specialist police officers has been promised by the Prime Minister, little has been done to alleviate rising fears in Muslim and non-white communities.
Anti-Muslim and Asian hate has been developing in this country long before the Southport attacks. Conflict in Gaza and the rise of Reform in the 2024 General Election have both stimulated the growth of far-right rhetoric. Young Muslims in Swansea have felt increasingly unsafe following violent attacks which have targeted minority communities. 14-year-old Jana told BBC News she usually felt protected in her city, but following the riots she feels she can’t go out alone.
There is a deep-rooted issue of Islamophobia in this country and the riots have only heightened its presence. The Conservative Party failed for 14 years to alleviate Asian and Muslim hate, while disregarding the problem that is knife crime altogether. As a member of the working class, our enemies are not asylum seekers or the Muslim community. The enemy is those at the top who have encouraged the development of a hostile environment in the UK.
Children are dead at the hands of a teenager and the attacks in Southport have been co-opted by the far-right in an attempt to exploit the tragedy for their own anti-immigration and Islamophobic agendas.
Image: LumixTrax/Wikimedia Commons
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