The riots have been blamed on everything from the economy to Elon Musk. But the networks that mobilised violence on our streets were forged in opposition to vaccines and lockdowns
Thank you all for your combined piece. Excellent explanation of what’s happened over the past few years. I agree lockdown has had an effect that’s still to be understood. I think the division caused by the many following rules and the few partying has gone deeper than people realise. The lack of transparency and integration of immigrants coming into communities causes fear among local people. We just need to be more open and accepting to other cultures. I did my DNA a few years ago. It opens yours eyes to where you’ve actually come from. (I’m mainly Finnish, Spanish and Irish). For many of us our ancestors were immigrants too, if not exploring, then running from war or famine in a country not far away. Look at how the Irish people were treated when they arrived in droves. Not too different to today.
I'm Scouse to my core but I'm the product of immigration - to the city (neither of my parents were born in Liverpool) and to the country (my father's family were originally Flemish). Who knows what other 'secrets' hide in my DNA?
Superb analysis. I do think there are other catalysts as well, cocaine for one, and the sensationalist, scare mongering media. As well as outlets like the Daily Mail and GB News normalising extremist viewpoints, the Echo uncritically published the story about the video of the girl in Kirkby, affording the mother anonymity. It then basically dropped all coverage of what happened in Knowsley until the accused came to court, after a protest was planned outside their offices. People will read the most horrific lies on the social media and look to mainstream media and find no pushback, or even dogwhistle confirmation.
Great piece. The far right and QAnon aligned presence in Liverpool at lockdown marches and a Save Our Children demo, and the contacts and WhatsApp groups and networks they helped create will have repercussions for years.
There are figureheads that emerged from that time in our gyms and on podcasts that openly spout homophobic and racist tirades. The swiftly forgotten Liberate Liverpool party elevated some of those radicalised voices further.
At the very least the more recent protests and the fact that most people arrested/charged have lived within 5 miles of the location of each riot should demolish the scouse exceptionalism idea of us being a Socialist utopia. Some of the people protesting at the Suites, and kicking off on County Road and many of those thousands that voted Reform will have been stood by us all chanting "Oh, Jeremy Corbyn" and "Fuck The Tories" in recent years.
Oh dear, the Post seems to have suffered an attack of the vapours, overcome with the far-left generated hysteria you've gone full-on MSM, invoking the mythical 'far-right' bogeyman so beloved by the Marxists. Who would have thought you would be sharing the same bed as the Daily Fail eh.
The Suites Hotel Protest was the biggest protest Kirkby had seen for years. It was history being made as that evening it showed Kirkby had no opposition to the protest. The supposed 'anti racists' had to be bussed in - a transit van or two full. Not local.
Most people there were from Kirkby. You can tell by the accents around you. Left wing protests for migrants, are often made up of accents not local.
The councillors, all but two Labour, the now gone MP Howarth, called locals 'far right' after the historic Suites hotel protest.
George Howarth voted for Iraq War. Blair slaughtered them. Then invited a million plus to the UK.
Today Labour Party pretends to love Muslims because for years Labour was shored up by Muslim votes as more numbers arrived. Now the Muslims have enough numbers to gradually build an Islamic bloc via their own councillors and MPs.
Labour even covered up the sexual abuse of countless white working class girls in hardline Labour areas. Muslim communities circled the wagons around the abusers. Some saw no wrong. They saw local white girls as there to be taken. As kaffirs who had no rights in their twisted mindset.
Nothing anyone on the left has to say matters at this point to many working class people.
The political decisions ie Iraq/Libya/former Soviet bloc and the failures of domestic government policies ie multiculturalism /softly - softly policing/housing & house prices etc etc of the last 30 years are being swept under the carpet. Successive governments since Blair have failed in their primary duty of looking after Britain and its people.
In my opinion the 'networks' for mobilization of violent disorder have simply expanded from the monopoly of the print and tel-lie-vision mediums to the social media platforms, which regurgitate narratives of misinformation with racial biases of British 'Us' versus foreign ' Them'?
Yes the proliferation of these social media platforms make it easier and faster for racist misinformation and narratives to spread, but let's not be distracted by the methods: it's not the 'method ' but the MESSAGE of racial division being promoted that We should be seeking to dissect and challenge.
Its too easy to apportion 'blame' outwardly.
What about the difficult questions of looking within: looking at ourselves individually in the mirror truthfully to confront the unconscious and possible conscious biases which have been shaped by anti-immigration and anti- 'foreign' policies and narratives,
spewed from the likes of former british prime ministers, home secretaries, mp's and councillors, police forces ,teachers, members of the medical profession?
What about our systems and institutions with racially discriminatory policies, practices and procedures?
What about the misinformation institutions of learning which promulgate the concept and actions of the 'Empire' as a benevolent, civilizing force for good; minimizing if not obliterating the truth of the heinous crimes perpetrated by the British Empire in its quest for world domination of 'Others' resources and sovereignity?
Crimes which continue to this day.
What about the parents who teach their children division according to skin colour or religious differences' ; neighbours who racially abuse and assault people simply for Being?
Uncomfortable questions indeed.
"Racism has done more to promote non-justice than any other socio-material system known to have been produced or supported by the people of the known universe.
* No major problem that exists between the people of the known universe can be eliminated, until Racism is eliminated."
Quite a brave piece, implying that many rioters are disgruntled locals, rather than organised far-righters. However, I’d be careful about publishings statements about the accused’s “guilt” before or / if it is admitted in court.
Police tactics almost caused a fight on Saturday 3rd August at the Pier Head between two groups there. Police led protestors from St Georges Hall to the Pier Head. Had we all bit the bait - hundreds would be in prison as we speak.
Now we live in an age when people are sent down for 20 months for comments on Facebook - whilst
a criminal who threatened a bus driver with a knife walks free - as do men with child porn collections.
As many on the left gloat over people sent to prison for views they disagree with (not threats of violence) let's not pretend the UK is not sliding into sone totalitarian state in which dissenting views are now punishable by prison. For now your views are OK. Next week, some may not be and you might end up doing time for those views.
The Psychological Attack on the UK by the UK Column
This short clip is an introduction to the video discussions by Brian Gerrish and Alex Thomson on the subject of the psychological attack on the United Kingdom, the origins, history and form of that attack.
Thank you all for your combined piece. Excellent explanation of what’s happened over the past few years. I agree lockdown has had an effect that’s still to be understood. I think the division caused by the many following rules and the few partying has gone deeper than people realise. The lack of transparency and integration of immigrants coming into communities causes fear among local people. We just need to be more open and accepting to other cultures. I did my DNA a few years ago. It opens yours eyes to where you’ve actually come from. (I’m mainly Finnish, Spanish and Irish). For many of us our ancestors were immigrants too, if not exploring, then running from war or famine in a country not far away. Look at how the Irish people were treated when they arrived in droves. Not too different to today.
I'm Scouse to my core but I'm the product of immigration - to the city (neither of my parents were born in Liverpool) and to the country (my father's family were originally Flemish). Who knows what other 'secrets' hide in my DNA?
Superb analysis. I do think there are other catalysts as well, cocaine for one, and the sensationalist, scare mongering media. As well as outlets like the Daily Mail and GB News normalising extremist viewpoints, the Echo uncritically published the story about the video of the girl in Kirkby, affording the mother anonymity. It then basically dropped all coverage of what happened in Knowsley until the accused came to court, after a protest was planned outside their offices. People will read the most horrific lies on the social media and look to mainstream media and find no pushback, or even dogwhistle confirmation.
Great piece. The far right and QAnon aligned presence in Liverpool at lockdown marches and a Save Our Children demo, and the contacts and WhatsApp groups and networks they helped create will have repercussions for years.
There are figureheads that emerged from that time in our gyms and on podcasts that openly spout homophobic and racist tirades. The swiftly forgotten Liberate Liverpool party elevated some of those radicalised voices further.
At the very least the more recent protests and the fact that most people arrested/charged have lived within 5 miles of the location of each riot should demolish the scouse exceptionalism idea of us being a Socialist utopia. Some of the people protesting at the Suites, and kicking off on County Road and many of those thousands that voted Reform will have been stood by us all chanting "Oh, Jeremy Corbyn" and "Fuck The Tories" in recent years.
Oh dear, the Post seems to have suffered an attack of the vapours, overcome with the far-left generated hysteria you've gone full-on MSM, invoking the mythical 'far-right' bogeyman so beloved by the Marxists. Who would have thought you would be sharing the same bed as the Daily Fail eh.
The Suites Hotel Protest was the biggest protest Kirkby had seen for years. It was history being made as that evening it showed Kirkby had no opposition to the protest. The supposed 'anti racists' had to be bussed in - a transit van or two full. Not local.
Most people there were from Kirkby. You can tell by the accents around you. Left wing protests for migrants, are often made up of accents not local.
The councillors, all but two Labour, the now gone MP Howarth, called locals 'far right' after the historic Suites hotel protest.
George Howarth voted for Iraq War. Blair slaughtered them. Then invited a million plus to the UK.
Today Labour Party pretends to love Muslims because for years Labour was shored up by Muslim votes as more numbers arrived. Now the Muslims have enough numbers to gradually build an Islamic bloc via their own councillors and MPs.
Labour even covered up the sexual abuse of countless white working class girls in hardline Labour areas. Muslim communities circled the wagons around the abusers. Some saw no wrong. They saw local white girls as there to be taken. As kaffirs who had no rights in their twisted mindset.
Nothing anyone on the left has to say matters at this point to many working class people.
The political decisions ie Iraq/Libya/former Soviet bloc and the failures of domestic government policies ie multiculturalism /softly - softly policing/housing & house prices etc etc of the last 30 years are being swept under the carpet. Successive governments since Blair have failed in their primary duty of looking after Britain and its people.
A very informative article. I like to think that not all immigrants are terrorists and not all protesters are right wing thugs.
Clever, insightful, the best writing on the riots I've read all week. You folks are amazing.
Thank you for a well balanced, nuanced article. To me at least.
Thanks to all who contributed to this article.
In my opinion the 'networks' for mobilization of violent disorder have simply expanded from the monopoly of the print and tel-lie-vision mediums to the social media platforms, which regurgitate narratives of misinformation with racial biases of British 'Us' versus foreign ' Them'?
Yes the proliferation of these social media platforms make it easier and faster for racist misinformation and narratives to spread, but let's not be distracted by the methods: it's not the 'method ' but the MESSAGE of racial division being promoted that We should be seeking to dissect and challenge.
Its too easy to apportion 'blame' outwardly.
What about the difficult questions of looking within: looking at ourselves individually in the mirror truthfully to confront the unconscious and possible conscious biases which have been shaped by anti-immigration and anti- 'foreign' policies and narratives,
spewed from the likes of former british prime ministers, home secretaries, mp's and councillors, police forces ,teachers, members of the medical profession?
What about our systems and institutions with racially discriminatory policies, practices and procedures?
What about the misinformation institutions of learning which promulgate the concept and actions of the 'Empire' as a benevolent, civilizing force for good; minimizing if not obliterating the truth of the heinous crimes perpetrated by the British Empire in its quest for world domination of 'Others' resources and sovereignity?
Crimes which continue to this day.
What about the parents who teach their children division according to skin colour or religious differences' ; neighbours who racially abuse and assault people simply for Being?
Uncomfortable questions indeed.
"Racism has done more to promote non-justice than any other socio-material system known to have been produced or supported by the people of the known universe.
* No major problem that exists between the people of the known universe can be eliminated, until Racism is eliminated."
Neely Fuller Jr.
Quite a brave piece, implying that many rioters are disgruntled locals, rather than organised far-righters. However, I’d be careful about publishings statements about the accused’s “guilt” before or / if it is admitted in court.
Police tactics almost caused a fight on Saturday 3rd August at the Pier Head between two groups there. Police led protestors from St Georges Hall to the Pier Head. Had we all bit the bait - hundreds would be in prison as we speak.
Now we live in an age when people are sent down for 20 months for comments on Facebook - whilst
a criminal who threatened a bus driver with a knife walks free - as do men with child porn collections.
As many on the left gloat over people sent to prison for views they disagree with (not threats of violence) let's not pretend the UK is not sliding into sone totalitarian state in which dissenting views are now punishable by prison. For now your views are OK. Next week, some may not be and you might end up doing time for those views.
These are dark days we are living in.
Interesting piece
Howe we this is another very look at the two
Tier policing
https://open.substack.com/pub/malcolmrichardclark/p/two-tier-cop-conundrum?r=6426e&utm_medium=ios
The Psychological Attack on the UK by the UK Column
This short clip is an introduction to the video discussions by Brian Gerrish and Alex Thomson on the subject of the psychological attack on the United Kingdom, the origins, history and form of that attack.
https://x.com/ukcolumn/status/1821550726234923158