Of late, the UK has seen a small eruption in violence, orchestrated by the far right. Many of them claim they want to take their country back, and some claim to act out of grief for the girls killed in Southport. In my view, they are seeking an excuse to show everyone exactly who they are, and they are disrespecting the victims and the families of the victims with their violent displays.

Anger is an understandable emotion in the wake of the senseless attack in Southport. What has happened in the wake of the attack goes beyond understanding. It is rooted in ignorance, and excuses.

For starters, the rioters have dishonestly framed this as an immigration matter. The suspect in the attackers was born in the UK. The rioters have tried to pin this on Islam. The suspect was raised as a Christian. Does it not therefore become clear that the rioters acting ‘in the interests of the country’ are in fact acting out their racist fantasies? Do they speak for the majority? Absolutely not, though their thuggery and destruction is an embarrassment to the rest of us. They are not motivated by grief, they are motivated by hate, and they have seized up the terrible events in Southport as an excuse to act on their hate.

There are beacons of light among the darkness. Counter-protests have risen up to confront the tide of these wannabe nazis. This should hopefully serve as a message to the Farages and Robinsons of this world: the UK does not desire to see your words of hate win.

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