‘The Wider Issues the Riots Were a Symptom of Must Remain on the Political Agenda’

A centralised cohesion strategy for local communities, a wider cultural shift to restore trust in politics, and understanding how economic deprivation is linked to extremism must all be priorities for Keir Starmer’s administration, writes Misbah Malik of leading anti-fascism organisation Hope Not Hate

On 29 July 2024, news broke of a horrific attack at a dance workshop in Southport in which three young girls were murdered. In January, Axel Rudakubana was sentenced to a minimum of 52 years for the killings.

While many came together to collectively mourn, others chose to respond by participating in the largest outbreak of far-right rioting and disorder in the UK in the post-war period. A swift criminal justice response put a stop to the physical violence, but the underlying conditions that led to the unrest remain.

Last summer’s riots exposed the country’s vulnerabilities to far-right agitation. The media may have long moved on, but the wider issues the riots were a symptom of must remain on the political agenda. Not least because Muslims, migrants, and racialised people still live in fear – acutely aware that the drivers of the riots have been left under-addressed.

Unless the Government learns lessons, the UK remains susceptible to experiencing the same disorder again.