ARTICLE 19 condemns in the strongest possible terms the violence perpetrated by far-right groups across the United Kingdom in the past week. Such blatant displays of racism, xenophobia and Islamophobia are unacceptable in our society and we express solidarity with the communities and individuals who have been targeted or affected. ARTICLE 19 urges the government to take every step needed to protect affected communities. It is essential that the response addresses the direct threats to communities’ safety and the root causes of recent violence, and that it protects, not undermines, human rights.
The riots and violent disorder broke out in cities and towns across the United Kingdom on 30 July, following the brutal murder of 3 young girls in Southport the day before. In the immediate aftermath, false rumours began circulating that the attacker was a Muslim asylum seeker from Syria, inflaming anti-immigration and xenophobic sentiments. This rumour, quickly instrumentalised into disinformation, was spread primarily, but not exclusively, online, even after authorities provided information confirming that this wasn’t true.
Since then, groups and individuals have organised marches and coordinated demonstrations aimed at intimidating refugee, immigrant and Muslim communities. In highly orchestrated attacks, often by people outside local communities, mosques were targeted in cities including Southport and Stoke-on-Trent, and in Rotherham the attackers tried to set fire to a hotel housing asylum seekers as people sheltered inside. More far-right demonstrations are planned for later this week, some specifically targeting premises of immigration advice services, mosques, law firms and charities, putting communities at further risk.
ARTICLE 19 welcomes the condemnation of violence by the politicians from across the political spectrum. At the same time, we remind that politicians should refrain from making statements that might promote discrimination or intolerance, including inflammatory narratives against particular groups at risk, and should take advantage of their positions to contest discriminatory behaviour.
The violence of the past few days did not appear in a vacuum. Political leaders have failed to address growing concerns around the rise of xenophobia and Islamophobia in British society. Instead, certain politicians, social media influencers as well as sections of the media have for years promoted discriminatory rhetoric against Muslims and migrants and exploited people’s grievances for their own political agenda. The years of scapegoating asylum seekers and immigrants and the dangerous dog whistle politics continue to whip up division, which fuels the violence on the streets.
Much has been said about the role of social media companies in amplifying the hateful rhetoric in the context of these riots. We have repeatedly criticised the social media companies in the past for not doing enough to address the ways in which their own algorithms are contributing to the spread of incitement – and the effect this can have on exacerbating offline violence in volatile contexts.
Nevertheless, we caution against any policy responses that would jeopardise privacy and free expression online. Calls for ending online anonymity or holding platforms’ executives criminally liable for content posted by users will only lead to less safe online spaces and increased platform censorship, while doing nothing to address the root causes of the issues we face.
While we agree that decisive action must be taken against those engaging in any violence, we are nevertheless concerned about some of the recently announced policing measures, in particular the expansion of the use of live facial recognition technology which instead of protecting human rights will infringe the right to free expression and privacy. ARTICLE 19 has long argued for a ban on the use of live facial recognition. The technology amounts to mass surveillance and not only violates people’s right to freedom of expression and privacy but has also proven to be ineffective in addressing crime and will not make any of the affected communities safer.
It is particularly in times of unrest that the protection of human rights must become the key priority of the government. Any response to riots and unrest must be based on the principles of legality, necessity and proportionality.
The government’s first priority must be to stop the spread of the violence and protect the communities at risk. The root causes of the problem must be urgently addressed through a multi-sectoral strategy to tackle racism and Islamophobia in society, while fostering tolerance and narratives which, instead of dividing, promote social cohesion across all communities.