Far-right riots erupted across Britain over the weekend, marked by anti-immigrant violence in several cities and towns, forcing the new UK government to confront the worst disorder seen in over a decade.
Crowds of far-right agitators set fire to hotels housing asylum seekers, trapping and frightening those inside. In other cities, rioters damaged public buildings, clashed with police, threw objects at officers, and vandalized police vehicles.
The unrest began late last month following an anti-immigrant misinformation campaign that inflamed outrage over a stabbing attack in Southport, northern England, which resulted in the deaths of three children.
On Monday morning, Prime Minister Keir Starmer chaired his first COBRA session – an emergency meeting involving national agencies and government branches – to address the escalating situation.
“This is not protest,” he stated on Sunday. “It is organized, violent thuggery and it has no place on our streets, or online.”
This outbreak of violence represents the first major challenge for Starmer, who assumed leadership of Britain a month ago after his Labour Party defeated the Conservatives in a general election. His response to this crisis will be closely scrutinized by both lawmakers and the public.
Over Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, violent protests erupted in city and town centers across the UK, with many demonstrators appearing intent on confrontations with police and causing chaos.
What began as anti-immigration marches organized via social media platforms like X and messaging services such as WhatsApp and Telegram quickly descended into disorder and violence.
Protesters set fire to two Holiday Inn hotels, one in Rotherham, northern England, and another in Tamworth, central England, which were believed to be accommodating asylum seekers awaiting decisions on their claims.
According to South Yorkshire Police Assistant Chief Constable Lindsey Butterfield, the Rotherham hotel was “full of terrified residents and staff.”
In Tamworth, rioters threw projectiles, smashed windows, and ignited fires, injuring one police officer, local authorities reported. In Rotherham, rioters used wooden planks, fire extinguishers against officers, set fire to objects near the hotel, and smashed windows to gain entry.
Violence was also reported in Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Stoke-on-Trent, and other cities, primarily in the Midlands and northern England. The Home Office announced that mosques in the UK would receive “greater protection with new emergency security.”
Over the weekend, more than 100 people were arrested, with additional suspects yet to be identified. Authorities have vowed to employ facial recognition and other technologies to locate these individuals.
“People in this country have a right to be safe, and yet we’ve seen Muslim communities targeted, attacks on mosques, other minority communities singled out, Nazi salutes in the street, attacks on the police, wanton violence alongside racist rhetoric,” Starmer said from Downing Street. “So no, I won’t shy away from calling it what it is: Far-right thuggery,” he added.
The immediate catalyst for the violence was the stabbing of several children in Southport, northwest England, earlier in the week – a rare and shocking incident that left three young girls dead and shocked the nation.
Far-right groups exploited and spread disinformation about the incident, including false claims that the suspected attacker was an immigrant, to incite anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant protests. However, police have stated that the suspect was born in Britain.
Anti-migrant rhetoric has become more prevalent in Britain in recent years, critics argue, emboldening far-right sympathizers and contributing to the scenes of violence witnessed over the weekend.
In the recent general election, Reform UK, a populist right-wing party with a confrontational anti-migration platform, secured the third-most votes, reflecting the prominence of immigration issues in the campaign.
Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, condemned the violent riots on Monday but also criticized what he saw as the “soft” policing of previous anti-racism riots and the “fracturing of our communities” due to mass, uncontrolled migration.
Some Conservative lawmakers, particularly those who shifted their party’s rhetoric and policies rightward over 14 years in power, responded to Farage’s comments.
Former hardline Conservative Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “Violence and thuggery is always unacceptable. There is no qualification or exception. And politicians on all sides must be willing to stand up and say so.”
Diane Abbott, Britain’s first Black female MP and the longest-serving woman in the House of Commons, commented on Monday: “Nigel Farage must be happy this morning. Anti-immigrant marches up and down the country and black and brown people living in fear.” Farage’s spokesperson declined to comment.
The organization and timing of the riots were communicated days in advance via social media and messaging platforms, drawing criticism toward social media companies for their role in the violence.
Elon Musk’s X platform, in particular, has faced scrutiny for allowing far-right figures like Tommy Robinson back on the service. Robinson has used the platform to promote the protests and criticize the violence.
Joe Mulhall, director of research at Hope Not Hate, a UK-based anti-racism and anti-fascism charity, told that Robinson’s return to X allowed far-right extremists to reach millions with their divisive propaganda.
Starmer’s reaffirmation that the protesters were “far-right thugs” faced backlash from right-wing accounts online, leading to the spread of the hashtag #FarRightThugsUnite on X. Musk himself commented that “civil war is inevitable,” in response to a post blaming the riots on “mass migration and open borders.”
On Monday, the prime minister’s spokesperson stated, “There’s no justification for comments like that,” and added that Starmer “wouldn’t share those sentiments.”
The last major social unrest in Britain occurred in 2011, when a fatal police shooting of a Black British man in north London led to several days of riots in the capital.
Keir Starmer, then Director of Public Prosecutions, was responsible for addressing those offenses and later credited the swift processing of cases for helping to control the situation. He is now applying similar measures, using governmental powers to extend court hours.
However, Starmer faces unique challenges in 2024, following a decade of underfunded public services and near gridlock. As of Friday, fewer than 1,500 prison spaces were available in England and Wales, with British prisons operating at nearly full capacity.
This crisis has abruptly ended Starmer’s post-election honeymoon and prompted MPs from all parties to call for a parliamentary debate on the riots. Starmer’s spokesperson indicated that the government is focused on addressing the riots.
Parliament has been recalled six times in the past decade, with only one instance unrelated to the Covid-19 pandemic – the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban in 2021.
