THE violent riots that broke out following the shocking fatal stabbing of three young girls in the seaside town of Southport were truly distressing. The mass disorder rapidly spread across the country with incidents taking place in Southport itself and in cities as far afield as Plymouth, Sunderland and Belfast. They were confined to England and Northern Ireland, with no outbreaks recorded in Wales or Scotland.

What became clear from the outset was that the incidents took place in areas of extreme social deprivation, where communities have the feeling of being left behind and not sharing in the prosperity enjoyed elsewhere in the country; long-term unemployment, deindustrialisation, urban decay and long-term neglect of local infrastructure are characteristics of these areas.

Indeed, during radio phone-in discussions about the causes of the riots, several contributors cited the government’s removal of the winter fuel payment for pensioners and the retention of the cruel two-child benefit cap as factors that added to existing discontent. 

Many myths quickly circulated about the terrible incident in Southport and the erroneous claims that the assailant was a recent asylum-seeker who had been trafficked across the Channel on one of the many boats that take the perilous journey from France on a near-daily basis, an issue which has become such a contentious one in political debates over recent years.

When the culprit of the stabbings was eventually unmasked after some days’ delay he turned out to be a British-born youth with parents from Rwanda, a country where most of the population are Christian, so this would make it highly unlikely that he would be an Islamist, as was claimed, though his motives have yet to be revealed to the public. 

This deliberate misinformation thrived and helped fuel rumours that provoked the riots. The mood of anger and seething hatred vented on asylum-seekers and minority communities had been festering for years created by the opportunistic rhetoric of newspapers and politicians from all major parties.

Acute social tensions and political conflicts cannot be ignored or downplayed if we want to genuinely understand the root causes of the rioting because they did not simply emerge from out of nowhere. 

The far right inevitably sought to capitalise on the discontent and actively spread the misinformation through social media, which facilitates the spread of unpleasant ideas. Nevertheless, the belief that the far right is “on the march” should not be exaggerated too much as that could simply add to the feelings of fear and helplessness of those who are the victims of racist abuse.

The English Defence League (EDL) was one of the groups repeatedly blamed for stirring up the riots, even though it no longer formally exists as an active organisation. 

Admittedly, the involvement of far-right individuals and shadowy informal groups in stoking the flames of discontent seems to be undeniable, at least judging by all the evidence of the slogans used on the protests and the symbolism of those participating in the incidents who were regularly seen brandishing banners with intimidating messages like “Britain first,” “England for the English,” and “Stop the boats,” the latter one being a campaign slogan adopted by former prime minister Rishi Sunak. 

The targets for the rioters’ wrath were hotels used to provide temporary housing for asylum-seekers and local mosques, indicating the racist nature of the riots but suggesting more vague political motives. Police officers clashed with rioters in ugly incidents and even paramedics tending to the injured were assaulted. Random violence and looting suggest there was no clear common political intentions among the rioters.

Government policy that has dispersed asylum-seekers to the most deprived communities in the country must bear some blame as it surely contributed towards the social tensions prevalent in those areas. The policy has created a tinderbox ready to be ignited by malignant forces. So successive governments need to admit their responsibilities if we are ever to resolve the underlying causes of such unrest as riots are likely to break out again at some point in the near future. 

The latest series of riots, violent protests and disorder put members of minority communities in dread of even venturing outside their own homes. The fear of random attack in the street has sadly long been a living daily reality for these communities and the legacy of the riots will linger on for an exceedingly long time to come. Unless the underlying issues are properly and urgently addressed the animosities will fester. 

The immediate response of the government was to reach for the law-and-order playbook. The state insists on its monopoly of the use of force and is determined irrespective of the party in power to punish severely all who challenge this monopoly, whether they are from right or left. The Prime Minister and his Home Secretary, recently installed in office, wanted to be seen to be up to the job.

They encouraged the police and the courts to take swift action to arrest, sentence and imprison as many offenders as possible. Summary justice has become the norm, with harsh sentences read out on live television which turned the legal process into a form of entertainment. 

In the aftermath of the riots, politicians are seeking to introduce stricter curbs on civil rights, with online social media posts treated the same as criminal offences committed on the streets and they may even be interpreted as acts of terrorism. 

Even satire is being defined as a criminal offence, with one recent political poster branded as “extremist abuse,” in a new government report. The offending poster was critical of Labour’s policy on Gaza and Israel, and bore the words, “Vote for Labour, vote for genocide,” which some would see as fair comment, reflecting widespread public disquiet at the continued arms sales to Israel in the light of allegations of war crimes amidst the mounting deaths of unarmed civilians in Gaza, including thousands of children.

The mounting atrocities in the Middle East have been unfolding for months with hardly a comment coming from the mouths of Labour Party leaders. Their position has hardly altered now that they are in government and arms sales to Israel are continuing uninterrupted. 

Robust satire and sharp political comment have always been features of a healthy liberal democracy. The attempt to silence critics by government fiat is a dangerous trend. Britain already has repressive anti-terrorism legislation on its statute books, so the readiness to toughen these up can only pose a renewed threat to all our rights and liberties.

The shortsighted moves of politicians, who are out of touch and disconnected with the public, also put in jeopardy the great traditions of dissent that have long been a hallmark of the country, and which has justly been celebrated for centuries as a haven for political refugees escaping from repressive regimes abroad.

It is deeply ironic that a Prime Minister with a career as a human rights lawyer should be the political leader to embark on introducing more state powers that curtail civil liberties. It is worrying that so few voices seem prepared to speak out and stand up for our cherished liberties, now under threat from our own government. Those who remain silent will, it seems certain, live to regret it. Equally it seems certain that state repression will not resolve any of the underlying tensions that created the conditions for the riots and disorder in the first place. We appear to have embarked on an extremely dangerous period in our history.

Britain remains one of the richest countries in the world, but it is also one of the most socially divided. These divisions are growing, especially between the super-wealthy and many who are barely surviving while in-work poverty, debt, homelessness and reliance on foodbanks are all increasing.

People need job security, access to affordable housing, good public services and opportunities for their children to thrive. The fact that so many lack all hope that their elected politicians will ever satisfy the basic human needs of the people indicates that the scale of the problems we face are not sufficiently understood. The riots were a symptom of these deeper social ills and were not simply caused by mindless “far-right thugs” intent on stirring up trouble. The roots clearly go far deeper, and these must be addressed if we are ever to avert social decline and disintegration. 

David Morgan and Estella Schmid, Peace in Kurdistan.