- Thousands of anti-racists in England countered far-right rioters, reclaiming towns and the narrative
- Far-right violence, fueled by Islamophobia, was condemned, with over 400 arrests made
- Calls for government action to combat far-right ideology and support multiculturalism
On Wednesday evening, thousands of anti-racists marched through the north and south of England, recovering our towns and cities from far-right rioters who had terrorized British Muslims, people of color, refugees, and migrants for the previous eight days.
In doing so, anti-racists have also reclaimed the narrative from the politicians and media operatives who have emboldened these violent racists with their inflammatory rhetoric on migration, demonstrating that the majority of British people do not buy into their hatemongering and that our multiracial neighborhoods and communities are “no go zones” for the far right.
This unprecedented show of force by the decent people of Britain followed a police warning that more than 100 far-right events were planned around the country on Wednesday. It was reported that the far right, who had already been wreaking havoc around the country in so-called “anti-immigration” demonstrations for days, intended to attack immigration lawyers’ offices, refugee and migration charities’ offices, mosques, and community facilities.
People who were shocked by previous attacks, as well as the rampant theft and violence against police officers that accompanied them, have decided enough is enough. The massive number of anti-racists and anti-fascists on the streets, along with a strong response from the police (more than 400 rioters have been arrested, and 140 have already been charged), was enough to terrify the far-right thugs. In the end, only a few far-right rioters turned out in several of the areas where such violent meetings were planned.
The race riots appear to have ended, and those who took part in them or even encouraged them from afar are beginning to experience the “full force of the law,” as Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged.
While this win over racists and fascists, this reclamation of British identity, should be celebrated, there is also an urgent need to ask: how did we end up with far-right rioting on our streets, and what can we do to avoid this tragedy from happening again?
Many Britons blame the far-right rioting on online disinformation. Indeed, misleading, inflammatory social media content that blames Muslims and refugees for everything wrong with the country, from rising living costs to a lack of housing and even heinous crimes against children, has played a significant role in encouraging the worst elements of our society to take over our streets.
Nonetheless, British Muslims and other ethnic minorities in our nation are well aware that the hatred that fueled the events of the last week predates social media.
These riots reactivated longstanding traumas in our communities that date back at least a half-century.
Indeed, as children of working-class migrants welcomed to Britain to rebuild the country after WWII, we feel as if we have witnessed firsthand the discrimination, hatred, and intimidation that our parents encountered in this country in the 1970s and 1980s.
Our parents had told us how elderly, youths and women in our communities were urged to stay at home when far-right thugs were out hunting for targets and victims. Last week, that sad history was repeated. Muslim women, the elderly, and anybody else who appears to be Muslim or a “migrant” have been warned to stay at home and avoid specific streets and districts. We were afraid of being harassed, beaten up, or even attacked with acid while going about our daily routine.
This week has also served as a reminder that despite years of anti-racist attempts to curb it, the incredibly intense anti-Muslim hatred and bigotry unleashed in the aftermath of 9/11 has persisted.
Following al-Qaeda’s attack on New York’s twin towers 25 years ago, the United States and its allies, including the United Kingdom, launched a so-called “war on terror,” inflicting unfathomable misery and suffering on Muslim populations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and throughout the Middle East. Simultaneously, Muslims began to be demonized in politics and popular media, so normalizing and mainstreaming anti-Muslim hatred. This two-pronged campaign of devastation and dehumanization undoubtedly had a significant impact on Muslims living in the West, especially in the United Kingdom.
Most of Europe adopted Islamophobia as a national policy following 9/11. States began prohibiting the niqab, hijab, mosque construction, and the call to prayer. There have been multiple attempts to ban halal meat in various countries. For years, Europe’s mainstream media openly spread Islamophobia, publishing bogus tales and screaming headlines to fuel hate against Muslim populations.
In the United Kingdom, anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant, and anti-refugee voices in media and politics have been as loud as those on the continent. Still, there has always been a general effort to protect multiculturalism and all of the communities, including Muslims, that make Britain great.
In recent years, however, there has been a deliberate push to reverse the anti-racist victories won in our country since 9/11. Politicians and the media worked tirelessly to demonize Muslims and falsely portray our communities as a threat to our country’s future.
We have seen a return to the dark days that followed 9/11, particularly after Israel’s war on Gaza began. Anti-genocide marches calling for peace and a ceasefire were labeled as “hate,” and British Muslims demanding an end to the killing were labeled as “hatemongers” by political leaders and the national media.
All of this contributed to the awful outpouring of hate that we have witnessed on our streets over the last week. Indeed, the race riots were an unavoidable outcome of all of this; thanks to anti-racist activities, they lasted barely a week, but they had been planned for decades.
Now that the far-right threat on our streets appears to have been contained, concerned communities are attempting to catch their breath and comprehend what has occurred.
So, how can we avoid a repeat of this horrifying outburst of hatred toward Muslims and other minority groups?
The only way to ensure that the UK never sees such racist riots again and that our communities feel entirely safe and secure in this nation is for the government to wage war on dangerous far-right ideology.
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The government must confront the far right and its Islamophobic intolerance while defending and upholding the internationally accepted rights of asylum seekers and migrants. It must establish a new asylum and immigration system consistent with international law and honor all individuals’ dignity and humanity.
Furthermore, it must make its position on Islamophobia clear.
Unless the leaders of this country recognize that hatred of Muslims, migrants, and refugees is a source of domestic terror and threatens the very fabric of British society, I am confident that there will be more weeks of shame in this country’s future when minorities are told to stay at home for their safety.
The government must immediately thank the British people for halting the far right in its tracks and take quick action to guarantee that their efforts were not in vain.
Starmer and his cabinet must support multiculturalism while also taking measures to solve the deep disparities and injustices plaguing the UK’s multiracial working classes, which allow far-right beliefs to thrive in our society. Anything else would be giving far-right radicals control over our entire lives.
