What’s Behind The Anti-Immigrant Violence Exploding Across Britain? Here’s A Visual Explainer

Britain faces severe unrest as anti-immigrant and Islamophobic rioters clash with police. Violence erupted following a fatal knife attack, fueled by misinformation

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Britain has been convulsed by violence for the past week as crowds spouting anti-immigrant and Islamophobic slogans clashed with police.

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The disturbances have been fueled by right-wing activists using social media to spread misinformation about a knife attack that killed three girls during a Taylor Swift-themed dance event.

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The violence, some of Britain's worst in years, has led to hundreds of arrests as the government pledges that the rioters will feel “the full force of the law” after hurling bricks and other projectiles at police, looting shops and attacking hotels used to house asylum-seekers.

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People across Britain were shocked by what police described as a “ferocious knife attack” that killed three girls between 6 and 9 on July 29 in Southport, a seaside town north of Liverpool. Eight other children and two adults were injured.

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Agitators are exploiting long-simmering tensions over immigration and, more recently, the growing number of migrants who have entered the country illegally by crossing the English Channel in inflatable boats. 

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Those concerns were a central issue in last month’s election, with former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promising to stop the boats by deporting “illegal immigrants” to Rwanda.

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British police remained on alert on Thursday after a heavy security presence, rapid arrests and displays of unity by people across Britain on Wednesday prevented a repeat of widespread rioting involving racist attacks targeting Muslims and migrants.

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After police deployed in force and thousands of anti-racism protesters took to the streets on Wednesday evening, threats of widespread gatherings by far-right anti-immigration groups did not materialise.

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The government said it was still cautious after days of riots triggered by false online posts wrongly identifying the suspected killer of three young girls in a July 29 knife attack in Southport, northwest England, as an Islamist migrant. Police said a further potential 20 gatherings and three counter-gatherings were planned for Thursday.