Anti-migration protesters attempt to enter the Holiday Inn Express Hotel which is housing asylum seekers on August 4, 2024 in Rotherham, UK. Photo: VCG

Violence escalated across the UK over the weekend, with protesters taking to the streets in Liverpool, Hull, Nottingham and other cities, leaving buildings and vehicles on fire and shops looted. The riot, reportedly the largest in scale in the past 13 years, was fueled by disinformation that swirled online about the identity of the perpetrator of an attack in the northern town of Southport on July 29 that left three girls dead.

The riot reflects the growing prevalence of extreme nationalistic attitudes in the country, particularly among the youth, and the longstanding challenges of immigration integration. The sluggish economy and various "systemic crises" facing the UK are exacerbating public discontent over these issues, observers said. 

A 17-year-old male from Cardiff was apprehended for the deadly attack, but due to his age, Merseyside Police could not disclose his identity initially. Misleading information spread online, falsely linking him to being an asylum seeker and arriving in the UK by boat last year, and he was also wrongly identified as a "Muslim immigrant." 

To dismiss all the speculation, a court later lifted the requirement for the suspect's anonymity and he was named as Axel Rudakubana, who was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents, according to Sky news. 

The riot reflects the widespread British distrust of the government, judiciary, and administrative system, Cui Hongjian, a professor from the Academy of Regional and Global Governance with Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times. The conservative shift in British politics and the rise of populism has led to crimes being attributed to ethnic conflicts, fueling disinformation, Cui explained.

Cui elaborated that under the influence of populism, it has become increasingly common to attribute all problems and conflicts to external sources, such as linking criminal events to ethnic tensions. 

Zhao Junjie, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of European Studies, said the UK is grappling with a "systemic crisis," marked by a struggling economy, budget deficits, escalating raw material costs, and the diminishing presence of manufacturing in the country.

People, especially the younger generation that was raised under years of the Conservative Party's governance promoting the expulsion of illegal immigrants and refugees, are particularly susceptible to incitement, Zhao said. 

Cui said the effectiveness of the British government's ability to manage the tragedy in Southport will determine if public discontent can be somewhat alleviated. However, the situation is challenging as this incident has the potential to fuel prolonged opposition toward immigration and other issues.