Riots in England: Establishment Conveniently Sidesteps the Root Cause

In the aftermath of the Southport Islamophobic riots, the UK Prime Minister swiftly announced the formation of a new violent disorder unit for the police. [1] However, he refrained from implementing punitive measures against large social media companies that allow far-right inspired hatred and violence on their platforms. Despite these new measures, far-right groups continued to carry out violent protests targeting mosques in several cities across the North of England. [2]

While far-right groups undoubtedly contribute to social tensions, tackling the issue of social cohesion requires a more thoughtful approach than simply proscribing these organizations, banning misinformation on social media or addressing economic inequality in England. The root cause behind far-right extremism and violence can be attributed solely to unbridled English racism, which pervades much of society.

In a single day, England witnessed multiple instances of institutional racism: Lord Pearson of Rannoch delivered a controversial speech in the House of Lords, widely criticized as inflammatory towards Muslims; the Greater Manchester Police suspended eight officers for racial discrimination; and a report on Kent schools revealed over 900 cases of racism. [3,4,5] This snapshot illustrates the pervasive nature of racism within key English institutions. These incidents, however, are not isolated.

Over the past two decades, a series of groundbreaking reports have consistently exposed institutional racism across various sectors of English society. The Macpherson Report in 1999 first brought institutional racism in the police force to the forefront, setting the stage for further investigations. Subsequently, the Lammy Review in 2017 revealed pervasive racial bias within the criminal justice system, while the Race Disparity Audit in the same year identified widespread inequalities across government departments. The health sector has not been immune, with the Marmot Review in 2020 emphasizing persistent health inequalities for ethnic minorities, further corroborated by NHS Race and Health Observatory reports in 2022-2023 documenting racial disparities in healthcare. Political parties have also faced scrutiny, with the Singh Investigation in 2021 examining discrimination within the Conservative Party, and the Forde Report in 2022 finding evidence of racial bias within the Labour Party.

On the sporting front, football in England has been plagued by persistent racism, with the Football Association (FA) facing intense scrutiny for its inadequate response to the issue. Despite initiatives like the annual Kick It Out reports and the FA Diversity Code, a 2020 parliamentary committee report sharply criticized the FA and other football bodies for their slow progress in confronting discrimination, stressing the need for more effective action to address systemic racism within the sport.

The pervasiveness of racism across numerous English institutions has only served to foster an environment conducive to the growth of far-right extremism and violence against minority communities in England. More sinisterly, the English establishment have exploited far-right extremist groups to redirect blame for economic inequalities towards immigration, while simultaneously pressuring the Muslim community to surrender their Islamic values and assimilate.

Racism in England is not a modern phenomenon that began after the Second World War, when manpower was imported from Britain’s colonies to address worker shortages. On the contrary, the quest for English supremacy started much earlier, following the disintegration of the Roman Empire. During this period, waves of Germanic and Danish peoples, such as the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, settled in England. Initially, these groups conflicted with local Britons, but through the passage of time Anglo-Saxon kingdoms came into existence and the first notion of English identity was born. This English identity further solidified, as Anglo-Saxons repeatedly repelled attacks from Scots, Picts and Northmen like the Vikings. The latter culminated in the rule of King Cnut the Great (Canute) followed by William the Conqueror. It is this history of conquest and assimilation that laid the groundwork for a long-standing tradition of viewing outsiders with suspicion and asserting the superiority of the English way of life.

After centuries of invasion and conflict, the English began to assert their newfound sense of superiority. They invaded Ireland and Scotland, participated in the Third Crusade, and ignited the Hundred Years’ War. By the mid-sixteenth century, the English elite had entered the transatlantic slave trade, which they dominated for hundreds of years. The advent of capitalism only accentuated the English sense of superiority as they committed unfathomable atrocities in imposing the English way of life on foreign subjects and extending their empire. In the process, England holds the dreadful record of invading 90% of the countries on Earth and is responsible for long-lasting geopolitical consequences that continue to haunt our world today.

Given this history, it is impossible for the English elite to eradicate their racist disposition. The elite are forever ready to use English nationalism to deflect the masses from pressing issues or to mobilize their people to fight foreign wars that sacrifice the lives of the ordinary English people to secure the interests of the elite. Subsequently, it is incumbent upon the Muslim community to stand firm against social discord and offer Islam as the alternative to unite minorities and the indigenous English population as one community. Allah (swt) says:

[يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ مِنْ ذَكَرٍ وَأُنْثَى وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ]

“Oh mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.” [TMQ: Al Hujurat:49].

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Abdul Majeed Bhatti

References

[1] The Guardian. (2024). Keir Starmer confirms new violent disorder unit after ‘thugs’ rioted in wake of Southport attack – as it happened. The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2024/aug/01/keir-starmer-meeting-police-chiefs-southport-attack-kemi-badenoch-labour-conservatives-uk-politics-latest-updates
[2] The Yorkshire Post, (2024). Far right protests live: demonstrations expected in Hull, Leeds and Sheffield after police car burned in riots. The Yorkshire Post. Available at: https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/far-right-protests-live-hull-leeds-sheffield-police-riots-4728109
[3] The Independent. (2024). Peer accused of Islamophobia after claiming ‘radicals will take us over through power of the womb’. The Independent. Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/lord-pearson-rannoch-speech-islamophobia-b2587610.html
[4] The BBC, (2024). Eight police officers suspended over alleged racism. The BBC. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cek9e054kxro
[5] KentOnline, (2024). More than 900 racist incidents reported in schools in Kent. KentOnline. Available at: https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/they-re-not-born-prejudiced-more-than-900-reports-of-rac-310636/