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David Thunder
David Thunder
David Thunder is a researcher and lecturer at the University of Navarra’s Institute for Culture and Society in Pamplona, Spain, and a recipient of the prestigious Ramón y Cajal research grant (2017-2021, extended through 2023), awarded by the Spanish government to support outstanding research activities. Prior to his appointment to the University of Navarra, he held several research and teaching positions in the United States, including visiting assistant professor at Bucknell and Villanova, and Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Princeton University’s James Madison Program. Dr Thunder earned his BA and MA in philosophy at University College Dublin, and his Ph.D. in political science at the University of Notre Dame.

Unrest in Britain: The other half of the story

UK riots opinion
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The official story circulating on BBC and echoed by government and police spokespersons is that the riots and unrest seen in the UK in recent weeks are the product of a tiny minority of “far-right” hooligans and criminals, egged on by “disinformation” about the circumstances of the awful murder of innocent children in Southport, in particular the identity of the 17-year-old assailant, who was initially alleged to be a Muslim refugee, and later turned out to be a Welsh-born citizen born to Rwandan parents.

This official story is not, strictly speaking, false. But it is only half the story.

The race riots, street violence, and public unrest we have seen in recent weeks have complex underlying causes and are not susceptible to any simple, one-dimensional explanation. Yet in their eagerness to condemn “far-right” rioters and looters, many public commentators omit to mention that the visceral anger of the rioters is really just an extreme and unlawful expression of the anger and frustration of many ordinary, law-abiding citizens, whose concerns about immigration and its impact on their communities are usually either ignored or blithely dismissed as “disinformation” or “far-right” propaganda.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m not suggesting for a second that it is in any way justified to hurl rocks at a mosque, injure police officers, set refugee accommodation centres on fire, engage in disorderly conduct, or intimidate people of other religions or ethnicities. I’m not suggesting for a second that anti-immigrant violence should be tolerated or encouraged.

But I would suggest that the condemnation of “far-right” agitation and violence should not lead us to overlook the broader societal discontent and fragmentation that such violence emerges from. Our condemnation of far-right violence should not be allowed to blind us to the fact that a very large proportion of citizens who express disquiet over immigration policy, or attend public rallies to raise awareness of their concerns, are not violent thugs, or “far-right” agitators; just regular, law-abiding citizens who are worried about how poorly controlled immigration will impact their access to housing and public services, or the safety of their streets, or the cohesion and prosperity of their neighbourhoods.

If deep discontent with the UK’s immigration policy was restricted to “far-right” hooligans, we could not explain the remarkable success of the Brexit movement, one of whose primary selling points was its opposition to “mass immigration,” which saw through a successful Brexit referendum in 2016. Nor could we explain the fact that in the 2024 elections, Nigel Farage’s Reform Party, with its call for stricter controls on immigration, managed to win 15% of the popular vote, in a first-past-the-post system in which many of the Reform voters knew they were likely handing the election to Labour.

Of course, it is psychologically comforting to blame a social problem on a single scapegoat. It makes you feel more comfortable because the problem is contained and limited to whomever you have chosen to scapegoat – be it those pesky refugees, or the Muslims, or the Jews, or the conservative hillbillies, or the “Far Right.” But it may also be myopic, if the problem happens to be a complex one, with multiple underlying causes.

Those who, in the face of growing unrest surrounding immigration and race, limit themselves to condemning far=right violence, are missing out on a golden opportunity to open a sophisticated public conversation about fragmented communities across the UK, about the real and perceived failures of immigration policy, and about the reasons why immigration remains such a “hot button issue” in towns and cities across Britain.

Public disquiet in the UK over immigration policy is real and goes far beyond “far-right” agitation. Even when that disquiet is not on the front pages of British newspapers, it continues to bubble under the surface, as some communities feel that their access to public services and housing, as well as the future of their way of life, are threatened by disproportionate levels of immigration, including illegal immigration.

According to a 2023 analysis of professional opinion polls undertaken by the Migration Observatory, 37% of Britons believe immigration should be reduced “a lot,” and 15% believe it should be reduced “a little,” compared with 6% who believe it should be increased “a lot” and 8% who think it should be increased “a little.” In short, over half of the population believe there is too much immigration, while more than one in three believe there is far too much immigration.

The superficiality of the “official” British response to the unfolding unrest may come down to a sort of wishful thinking: if we just keep the focus on the “far right,” then we can just round up the culprits, pack our bags, and go home. After all, what politician or head of police wants to grasp the nettle of a racially charged issue like immigration, in a way that seriously engages with the demands of disgruntled citizens and communities?

Nevertheless, until public authorities and opinion leaders start to respectfully engage with citizens who believe illegal immigration is out of control, as well as communities that worry over the impact of immigration on social cohesion, housing, public services, and public finances, the disquiet and resentment will continue to brew. Sadly, we can expect more unrest and disorder if public authorities do not engage in a respectful way with citizens’ legitimate fears and concerns.

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7 COMMENTS

  1. This is what happens when you have successive governments who ignore the concerns of people they claim to represent. Silence from the voting public is all they represent which why they wont last. Reform UK and other party’s focused on real change, have an opportunity here but will they move to take advantage of it?

  2. When you have restricted resources, humanity goes back tribal.
    That is what is going to happen in the western world where agriculture and industries have been systematicly destroyed by greed and finance . Delocalisation or cheap import. That is how you destroy a country.
    Poverty has always been abject in the UK.
    Housing and food getting urgent as many are homeless of dependant on food banks.
    But with what money as central banks are bankrupt and many are without job .

  3. Far Right, What. does that even mean? It should be noted the the current Government of the UK is extreme left, so those in the Centre are a long way to the right of the current Government. Therefore When Starmer calls the protesters “Far Right” he is referring to the Centre, he. ignores the frustrations of the Centre at his peril.

  4. The whole problem can be encapsulated in a nutshell
    Race mixing
    Oil and water do not mix
    And never will
    People can bleat all day and all night
    The facts remain unchanged and will remain the same
    And why it is happening and will continue to happen even after the boats ‘stop’
    And why NZ does not have a future
    White Britain is being displaced and attacked by the serpent seed jews of Genesis 3:15
    Using their proxies the beast of the field
    Racism is a jewish word weaponized against the white race in the same vein as conspiracy theorist and anti antisemitism the jews not being Semitic nor Hebrews and definitely not Israelites
    Designed to shut down criticism and critical thinking in a futile attempt to block out the light of intelligent conversation
    Nothing pervades light which is the word and logic
    The so called far right are patriots labeled far right by the communist left who are intent and focused on preserving biblical values and preserving their way of life culture and civilization
    Babylonian Telmudic Judaism which is communism infiltration takeover and control
    Political Economic Religious
    Death Misery and Destruction
    And not Freedom Liberty and Prosperity
    Jews are the destroyers and the sackers of cities
    Parasites that live on the back of White Western Man
    The enemies of the White race the only pure race of ancestry descent left because it has been preserved
    https://comparet.christogenea.org/sermons/yahweh-commands-racial-segregation
    The United Nations the Palace of strangers non white Adamic
    White Adamic ‘formed’ (previously existed) into the earth separate to remain separate
    We win
    You lose
    History has already been written

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