Britain’s far-right riots and me

By Sharon Kimathi, Energy and ESG Editor, Reuters Digital

Hello,

I would be remiss if I did not address the past week’s far-right nationalist white supremacist riots in the United Kingdom. For those that do not know, I am directly affected as a Black British-Kenyan woman living in London, having to stay locked in my flat as I anxiously refreshed social media platforms for updates on the riots.

But how does this have anything to do with ‘Sustainable Switch’?. Excellent question straw man. Well, the 2030 Agenda for the United Nations’ sustainable development and Sustainable Development Goals is characterized by a commitment to racial justice and equality. The SDGs also fall within the remit of the ‘S’ – social – in ESG, which is what this newsletter covers.

Now back to the violent rallies where rioters clashed with police and smashed windows of hotels housing asylum-seekers from Africa, Asia and the Middle East, chanting “get them out” and “stop the boats” – a reference to refugees arriving in Britain in small dinghies. 

A Black man was punched and kicked by a large group of white men after a far-right riot in Manchester, according to the Metro newspaper. 

Shops, including Asian-owned businesses, have been vandalized or looted. Far-right groups also planned to target asylum centers and immigration lawyers nationwide on Wednesday.

They have also pelted mosques with rocks. Muslim organizations said it was a worrying time for their community and have issued safety advice to mosques and other Islamic institutions.

Also on my radar today:

Rioters throw a garbage bin on fire outside a hotel in Rotherham, Britain. REUTERS/Hollie Adams

On July 29, three girls aged between six and nine were killed during an attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event for children in the seaside town of Southport, in northern England. A teenager has since been charged with murder and attempted murder. Police said he was born in Britain and have not treated the attack as terrorism.

Misinformation and calls to violence spread on social media over the past week after far-right and anti-Muslim groups seized on the fatal stabbing of the three young girls.

There have since been riots in more than 20 places across Britain, from Sunderland in northeast England and Manchester in the northwest, to Plymouth in the southwest and Belfast in Northern Ireland.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said the violence was the result of “far-right thuggery”. To quell the disorder, Starmer has said rioters will face the full force of the law.

Anti-immigration and anti-Muslim racists such as Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, have promoted the riots online and have been accused by politicians and the media of peddling misinformation to inflame tensions. Robinson has accused the media of lying about him.

Speaking of online promotion of violence, Elon Musk was accused of exacerbating tensions during the week of the far-right rioting in Britain, sparking calls for the government to speed up the rollout of laws policing harmful online content.

Musk joined the debate on his X (formerly Twitter) platform and posted that civil war was “inevitable” in Britain. Starmer’s spokesperson said there was “no justification” for such comments.

“There must be a tipping point where a foreign billionaire platform owner has to take some responsibility for running a toxic bot network that has become one of the main sources of fake news and misinformation in the UK,” said Adam Leon Smith, a fellow at industry body BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, who wants the British telecoms regulator Ofcom to start enforcing the Online Safety Act.

Despite this, a number of posts on X actively encouraging violence and racism – seen by Reuters – remain live and have been viewed tens of thousands of times.

“What they do not realize is that we were brought here to build this country… and then it just so happens that we have our roots here,” said Clarissa Rougier, a visibly upset 40-year-old Black woman who lives in Walthamstow – one of the rumored areas the far-right was targeting in London. “It breaks my heart … it makes me feel sad.”

London businesses were forced to close on Wednesday or shut early amid fears of an outbreak of far-right disorder in the capital. 

I too stayed in for fear of running into one of these hate-filled groups. I wondered what effect these riots were having on my mental wellbeing and spoke to Sonia Kaurah, founder and CEO of Tala Thrive, a mental health platform for culturally competent care.

“I have experienced it personally this week; fearing for my own safety and the news to come every time my phone pinged. It causes a state of anxiety and acts as a constant reminder that members of Black and Brown communities still don’t have the privilege of being treated as individuals,” she said. 

Kaurah encourages those affected by these events to seek a sense of community (family, friends, religion) and resources to help navigate these difficult times.

“But isn’t London ‘tolerant’?”. This is a good final question straw man. According to the Cambridge Dictionary (Oxford has enforced a subscription service to access words), ‘tolerance’ means “a willingness to accept behavior and beliefs that are different from your own, although you might not agree with or approve of them.”

To ‘tolerate’ me means you may not agree with or approve of my existence or right to live peacefully in this country. That doesn’t exactly instill a sense of confidence.

But what does provide some sense of comfort is the “show of unity” by local communities who prevented a repeat of the widespread violence on Wednesday evening. Anti-racism activists marched carrying banners with slogans like “Refugees Welcome” and “No to Hate”, with only smaller groups of far-right gatherings reported.

Protesters continue anti-government demonstrations against bad governance and economic hardship, in Lagos, Nigeria. REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko

Charles Sekwalor, CEO and co-founder of Movemeback, a members’ community focused on African talent and innovation, shared his thoughts on the far-right riots in the UK:

“My complacency around a Britain that is more accepting than my 90s school experience of ‘go back home’ chants, derives from the modern day promise of unrestricted access to information in an internet and mobile age.

“But humanity’s greatest connectors and sources of truth are becoming the new tools of division, being used to drag us backwards, as the flames of fear and intimidation stoked online have translated to real life. 

“Despite feeling as if we’re living in the past, this violence is in part caused by our refusal to address it.

“The effects of colonialism and geopolitics have forced migration out of necessity, and it is apparent that a portion of the UK’s own citizens are the last to be educated on the facts and implications of its own history.

“It follows that those who helped build the foundations of our society are now scapegoated for its ‘end of empire’ economic strains which are independent of them, obscuring the fact that many were brought here not by choice, but by circumstance.  

“For them, me, and many of their descendants, the UK is home. I identify as both British and Ghanaian; I am a citizen of the world and an example of the UK’s multiculturalism which I wear with pride.

“But these riots resurface the painful memories of past discrimination, reminding many of the difficulties loved ones have faced and that to some, regardless of birth, service, or identity, there is no greater measure of Britishness than the color of one’s skin. 

“Remembering that our lives and communities are connected is imperative, and a true representation of this country’s history that divisive actors turn a blind eye to. If we do not face up to that, many in the UK will reassess their relationship with the place they consider home, and we’ll all be much less rich for it.”

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is drawing more support from Black voters than President Joe Biden did when he was in the race this year, while Republican Donald Trump’s support among white voters has risen somewhat in recent months, according to an analysis of Reuters/Ipsos polling.

Harris would be the first Black woman elected president, as well as the first Asian American, if she were to defeat Trump in the Nov. 5 election.

Some 70% of Black voters polled in July picked Harris over Trump on a hypothetical ballot, up from 59% who backed Biden in May and June polls. Trump’s share of the Black vote rose marginally to 12% in July from 9% in May and June.

Trump, meanwhile, is seeing increased support from white voters. Some 50% picked Trump in July polls, up from 46% in May and June. Harris had the support of 38% of white voters in July, compared to 36% in May and June.

Palestinian tailor Raad Saad powers his sewing machine with a bicycle and help from his children in the northern Gaza Strip. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa

Today’s spotlight shines a light on Palestinian resilience and innovation during times of conflict as they struggle trying to find a safe place to hide from the bombing, whilst enduring a humanitarian crisis with severe shortages of power, fuel, water and medicine.

In Gaza, where energy is scarce, one Palestinian tailor has found a way to make the wheel of his sewing machine turn again in the chaos of war.

He used bricks and fabric to set up the bicycle-powered machine. Saad’s 13-year-old son Issa turns the pedals as his father sews.

Ten months into the conflict that has created severe fuel shortages and skyrocketing costs for alternative energy, Saad said the bicycle offered a glimmer of hope.

Saad was not always behind the machine. Before the war erupted, he ran a factory and employed 20 workers.

“I used to import and export every day,” he recalled. Saad’s factory and his home in the same building were damaged by Israeli shelling and airstrikes. He managed to secure a small part of it, where he now works.

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