Australians travelling to the UK have been issued a warning to “exercise a high degree of caution”, as a result of the violent far-right riots across the country at the moment. So why has the UK erupted into the worst display of anarchy it has had in 13 years?
An outbreak of violence, looting, assault, and crime has swept over the UK, due to a mix of misinformation and extremist views. The riots have been described as anti-immigrant, Islamophobic, and racist, and have been occurring for over a week.
The so-called “protests” have targeted mosques and buildings that house asylum seekers, as a disproportionate and ill-guided response to an attack in Southport.
Almost 400 people in multiple British cities have been arrested so far, with the UK’s new government pledging that the far-right groups behind the massive civil disorder will “feel the full force of the law” as a consequence.
“I guarantee you will regret taking part in this disorder, whether directly or those whipping up this action online and then running away themselves,” said British Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer.
“This is not a protest, it is organised, violent thuggery and it has no place on our streets or online.”
But what led to the start of the biggest UK riots in over a decade? Where are they, and what has the reaction been? Here’s everything you need to know.
How did the UK riots start?
On July 29 in the city of Southport, three young girls were killed and 10 people were injured in a stabbing attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class. The assailant was quickly identified as Cardiff-born Axel Rudakubana, a 17-year-old UK citizen living in Lancashire.
However, before Rudakubana’s identity was confirmed, the internet was flooded with misinformation that purported that the attacker was a Muslim asylum seeker who arrived by boat. There is no truth in these claims.
This lie spread like wildfire online when it was shared by far-right voices — including Andrew Tate — and resulted in hundreds of rioters in Southport attacking a local mosque on July 30. These rioters clashed with police, injuring 50 officers, and in the ensuing violence also looted nearby shops.
Though the instigating action may have been the stabbing, at its core these riots are rooted in the deep xenophobia and racism against asylum seekers held by the rioters.
These racial tensions in the UK have been building, with former British PM Rishi Sunak promising to “stop the boats” (just like former Australian PM Tony Abbott) in the recent election.
Sunak lost in a landslide to Starmer, who revoked the immigration policy immediately upon election. The current PM said condemned the protests, regardless of political ideology.
“Whatever the apparent motivation, this is not protest, it is pure violence and we will not tolerate attacks on mosques or our Muslim communities,” Starmer recently stated.
Unfortunately, violent riots quickly spread to other cities in the UK.
Where are the riots happening?
Since they began on July 30, outbreaks of far-right violence have happened in more than a dozen locations across the UK.
Here’s a list of all the cities that have been impacted by the UK riots:
- Southport
- Hartlepool
- Hartlepool
- London
- Aldershot
- Sunderland
- Liverpool
- Belfast
- Stoke-on-Trent
- Hull
- Bristol
- Middlesbrough
- Bolton
- Rotherham
- Weymouth
- Birmingham
- Nottingham
- Blackpool
- Darlington
- Leeds
Australians travelling to UK given travel alert
Australia’s government-run travel app Smart Traveller has told all Australians to be on high alert in the UK and avoid locations where riots are happening.
On the Smart Traveller site, Aussies are warned to “exercise a high degree of caution in the UK”.
“Avoid areas where protests are occurring due to the potential for disruption and violence. Monitor the media for information and updates. Follow the instructions of local authorities,” reads the latest update.
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called for people to “turn down the heat” in political debates. (Not that this is a debate, it’s a bunch of racists being violent.)
“When I look at what has occurred — the vision in the United Kingdom in recent days — it breaks your heart to see that anger which is there from so many people,” said Albanese.
ASIO’s boss Mike Burgess announced that the threat level in Australia had been raised from “possible” to “probable” due to concerns that “more Australians are embracing a more diverse range of extreme ideologies and more Australians are willing to use violence to advance their cause”.
Other countries including Nigeria, Malaysia, Indonesia and India have also warned their citizens to steer clear of the chaotic scenes.
The last time the UK saw riots of this scale was London 2011.
[Image: Getty]
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