Why are majority of the riots in northern towns?

[PhoebeMcPeePee]

DH & I were watching the riots on the news this morning like most people absolutely horrified.

He's from one of the northern towns affected although we live in the south and started discussing why these riots now (and historically) tend to be more focused on northern towns but didn't really come up with any one thing. Any thoughts on this?

Is this a parody? Thoughts and prayers for your poor colleague having to endure such suffering. It’s no wonder the peasants are revolting when they’re forced to drink a one-off, urgh, Gold Blend. You never know, HR might give them danger money next time they have to go north of Watford.

But please don’t worry yourself about our narrow diet of only tripe and offal. Luckily we can access the Guardian’s recipe pages online.

Perhaps if they didn't act like racist thick scumbags they wouldn't be treated like racist thick scumbags.

The Home Office has for a few years been accommodating asylum migrants - in the main - in Northern locations and away from high cost housing hot spots in the South in a bid to reduce its accommodation costs. Local people are feeling marginalised.

Northern railways are bloody awful if you try to go E-W.
They committed the money to HS2 then cancelled.
Football, you used to be able to afford to support the local team. A Season Ticket needs a fucking mortgage if you are on minimum age.

Umm, there's a different between anti-racist riots and pro-racist riots... right?

I think it is you who sounds a bit thick

No one ever talks about 'clearing out foreign people' - no one even implies it. People talk about controlling immigration, plenty of other countries do that. Do you think the Swedes are racist and thick for wanting that? What about the Japanese? (They don't have any immigration!)

I literally know you have never been to one of these areas in the UK. I'm right aren't I?

Spot on.

And getting called racist by middle class people who hate them and cheer their replacement and every misfortune. Even when they are concerned about such simple things like the racist organised targeting and police , council and press cover up of young girls in their community for gang rape for well over a decade in 30 British towns. And let's not forget the double standards in reporting and government rhetoric on both that and ethnic rioting vs when whites do it.
And when they say why are you giving social housing to foreigners over us forcing us to rent privately for mych more money, then denying it when visibly the demographics of the estates of the country have changed beyond recognition, gee, perhaps listening instead of scoffing might have been an idea.

OH NO said Mumsnet, HOW DID IT COME TO THIS??

It just didn’t happen. Probably that particular person felt they needed to say something disparaging about their visit, because it was expected of them, so plucked this ‘story’ out of their arse, just to provide amusement to the person asking, because many people in London have this vision of the North being some backwater area.

It's quite complex but it boils down to lack of opportunity and with it a lack of decent jobs and the ensuing poverty. I live in the North of England and there's been rioting near me.

Lots of towns in the North and Midlands grew up around certain industries. And when those industries closed the heart was ripped out of them.

People living in these areas feel left behind, ignored, undervalued. Whether they are or not (and fwiw I think many places are) is immaterial - that's the perception.

And when you feel like that, you want someone to blame. Because why are so many people doing alright when you and yours are having a shit time?

In come the far right - the experts at placing that blame on people who are brown and black, immigrants, people who aren't Christian etc. The far right has long attracted some highly competent communicators and calculating people: Oswald Moseley, H*tler, Farage etc. They excelled at getting messages across.

And if you live in a town with a lack of opportunity and you see hotels housing asylum seekers or people of colour committing a crime while you're struggling then that's your "proof" that what articulate, intelligent, bloke from the BNP said is true. And finally someone's "listening" to you.

And that's how it happens. That's how the far right get a grasp in areas like Rotherham. People in Rotherham (to give one example) aren't stupid or naive - they're fed up of their lot. And their blame goes somewhere. And today it's on Muslims and asylum seekers. In the 30s, it was on Jews.

Oh and then some thugs just want a riot. Doesn't matter when, where or what. They just like rioting and here's an excuse.

And no, I'm about a million miles from being far right myself. I'm the polar opposite. I loathe the riots. They're horrific. But it's surprising - given what a divided society we live in - that we don't see more of this.

Which bit was racist politics?
It’s quite insulting and hateful to call someone racist and thick for highlighting the hate crimes against the Jewish community

Multiple places selling coffee at Leeds station: Cafe Nero, Costa, Pret, The Coffee Room, Wetherspoons, Panopolis ...

Do muslims look down on people that aren't muslims?

Do muslims treat women as less worth than men?

I sometimes wonder who is in reality far right.

But none of them sell real London coffee, they only sell Yorkshire tea and Ovaltine.

Apologies something came up so had to log off. Really interesting and many poster echoing our own thoughts about poverty, more segregated communities, lack of opportunity and a sense (perceived or otherwise) of being left behind/forgotten by government.

And for those that commented about Bristol, Aldershot, Portsmouth yes I am aware rioting wasn't just in the north but with only 14 of the 100 arrests in the SW or SE they are clearly more of an issue in the north. And yea I have visited many of these towns and cities both visiting my husband's family and as a student.

Loads of the rioters aren't from anywhere near these towns. It's a nice day trip from eg Luton for them. Listen to their accents some time. They aren't shitting on their own doorstep.

Poverty has nothing whatever to do with it. Southport is a very genteel town, as is Lytham St.Annes, even though both are close to Blackpool.
What is happening is little to do with immigration and more to do with thugs taking advantage of the situation to show their true nature. The same shower who disgrace this country when abroad, with their drinking and loutish behaviour.
However, this might just make the government wake up to the fact that there is a problem and it's about time something was done about it. Quietly complaining about mass immigration seems to have no effect.

Poverty and the concomitant multi-generational problem of learned hopelessness, via educational under-achievement. They are conditioned to accept whatever dregs govt gives them. They are truly bottom of the heap — despised, ridiculed and abused when they don’t consent to making their own lives worse, even worse.

I deplore the violence but support their right to protest.

ZOMG.

You mean... it wasn't a greasy spoon with someone serving with whippets out back?

That is your opinion. All the people who voted Reform disagree with you. And millions did. They are entitled to their opinons.

This is what I say time and time again. But some posters actually think concern about immigration translates as chucking out any first or second generation immigrant. In other words ethnic cleansing. Obviously those that have concerns only want the current run of immigration to be stopped whilst we reset, and deal with obvious infrastructure overload in the UK. But that’s too rational and sensible for some to comprehend.

Exactly. Imagine thinking people who have had everything gate kept away from them and awarded to others right down to the ability to even have a community, then told theyre shit, thick and undeserving by those same gate keepers aren't keeping tally of their grievances.
Smug middle class people helped to heap this pyre and need to do some self reflection if things are going to change.

It'd be interesting to see a list of town that those arrested have some from.

I would not be remotely surprised if Luton is over represented.

Good post. Immigration is not supported well in the UK.

I used to be an immigrant elsewhere in a country that was rapidly building roads, gp surgeries, schools and flats (and all the other infrastructure needed). Unsurprisingly, immigration was largely welcomed.

In this country immigrants are dumped in places least able to cope - the chart up thread was illuminating.

A lot of people want immigration being done properly, and it's just not and this isn't going away. Immigrants aren't a homogeneous mass either,some of the people that I know most against unsupported immigration are immigrants because they are affected by this. I am married to an immigrant.

But if you try and talk about immigration at all (except on mn) nuanced debate is dismissed in favour of crying 'racist'. Which doesn't make life for immigrants better, in fact quite the opposite.