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?

I live in the North East, OH from the NW.. DS born and bread in an ex mining village.. I'm a White Scottish female and have found it somewhat " othering" here, and I've lived here 20 odd years, before that all over the UK, London included.
The difference is ' up here' that we are largely forgotten.
When you have groups of young men ( and let's be honest here , it's young men!) Who have limited prospects and they are watching their kids go hungry then they are prime for the picking for organisations with ulterior motives.
I don't actually think the majority of it is race/ religion related, but the aggression and rage that they are forgotten.
What's the point in working your arse off to maybe, and it's a maybe, earn 30k a year ( which is positively wealthy, where I'm living) to then be told Mary from across the road gets her house for " free" from the council and she does feck all for all her benefits money.

It's the othering.. the wider the gap of the haves and have nots.. the more regular the various riots will be.

You can't pent up and ignore the aggressive minority without it spilling over.

History tells us that when the there is a higher percentage of disenfranchised white men unrest occurs. This group are also generally ripe for exploitation from those who seek to benefit from their destruction and political unrest.

It's in the mainly north at the moment, but back in the 1930s it was in East London e.g. the battle of cable street and I wouldn't be surprised if we don't start having more in the south too. My friend's white wc 30 something husband is a huge Andrew Tate fan and he is ready to get fighty on the streets because 'they don't listen and 'insert racist slur' keep coming over here and fucking up our country'.

I think some of it may also stem from anger and resentment towards the police and how marches and demonstrations are perceived to be policed eg, BLM, pro Palestine.
There were riots recently in immigrant communities in Leeds and Rochdale. These were covered widely in the media.
The day after the Southport riot Kier Starmer announced a crack down on the far right protests. I think he unwittingly fuelled the fire to be honest as in their minds 'it's one rule for them,,,' etc.

I think the government has a real problem on their hands. They need to put a stop to this without alienating entire communities. There's no quick fix as this stems from years of under investment in the north and a lack of motivation to integrate immigrant populations. If Labour don't tackle it head on, they won't be in power after the next election.

@Lwrenn thoughtful post. I was so sad to see the Spellow Hub in flames last night. Sending a big hug your way. Thank goodness your DH helped those women.x

Yes.

I live in the North East and DH has lived here all his life we both work in professional jobs, full time. Neither of us earn 30k. I dont think some people from the South realise how little money there is in the North East in general (obviously there are exceptions). Yes house prices may be cheaper in the South but I'm paying the same amount for my car, car tax, bread and milk etc as the rest of the country.

It is easy to get angry about it and if you are angry and uneducated and someone tells you its the Muslims fault then thats who you get angry with. Reform came here and held a rally and told everyone who to get angry with,

No one has ever come and explained to people why there is really such inequality and what they are going to do about it so this is where we are.

The problem runs deeper because the UK is very London/Southern-centric and promised levelling-up never materialises; the north is always bottom priority. Labour is no different from the Tories in that respect. HS2's northern legs have just been cancelled.

What is different is there simply isn’t the space for segregation on the level seen in other parts of the country. Most areas are diverse - both ethnically and in terms of wealth

I think this is very perceptive. The cities in the North are very different and there is a huge lack of integration which leads to even second generation immigrants living in complete segregation.

However, the riots of 2011 were mostly in London.

There is also pack mentality to blame. I'm in an ex coal mining area and reform had a high second place result. Since all the boundaries were re carved up again it isn't a higher result than ukip used to get, thankfully. All of this whipping up of tensions looks similar to how the fascist parties rise up. Too reminiscent of how hitler and his party got into power.

Agree that starmer needs to do something rather than just talk. I don't know where you would begin with it all. I'm sure that getting more privatisation in is not the answer.

I completely take the point that poverty and a feeling of inequity contributes, but you're really not paying the same for everything that we do down south. I was in the NE for a holiday a few weeks back, and even in tourist hotspots, was amazed how cheap everything was compared to what I'm used to.

Great post. Also living in poverty does cause mental health problems and there's no support.

Quite a lot of people were v keen to put the Southport killings down to mental health but yet the young men rioting - also criminal but Indisputedly not as morally wrong as killing children - are apparently all just to be written off as right wing.

We've got a labour govt now so hope they will do something to force companies to improve wages as that would solve a lot of problems. Introduce a rule that the ceo can't earn more than a multiple of the wage of the lowest paid worker. Scrap zero hours contracts etc.

Scrapping zero hour contracts is a whole other issue. I will keep mine, thanks.

@Littletreefrog

"Poverty and a feeling of being ignored by Government."

True- but I would go further and say a feeling of being ignored by not just the government but by the media and society in general.

Poor white working class males are amongst the most deprived sections of society and have the lowest probability of going to university or social mobility.

A feeling rightly or wrongly that society discriminates against them in favour of ethnic minorities or migrants. A belief rightly or wrongly in two tier policing. A feeling that any concerns they raise peacefully are dismissed by politicians as racist or bigoted:
amp.theguardian.com/politics/2010/apr/28/gordon-brown-bigoted-woman

A feeling that they are looked down upon by left wing metropolitan "elites:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30148768.amp

And rather than trying to address these concerns or at least be listened to the left and the media dismiss them as all far right racist fascists.

Feeling unheard and they've got a get up and go attitude

Hopefully all will be peaceful in Middlesbrough and elsewhere, today. There's already crowds gathered in 'boro and businesses are closed and boarded up.

Let me guess, you think northern towns are anywhere above London….

There were demonstrations/riots in Bristol, Plymouth or Portsmouth, Stoke and Nottingham (Midlands) not just northern towns.

Probably also think anyone ‘up north’ only has one brain cell as well 🙄

Most of the rioters were from outside the towns. The people you see cleaning up on the news are far more representative of most Northern towns and cities.

It was tongue in cheek @NevermindNelson to reflect back the tone of the post I was responding too. Sorry if that went over your head. I do absolutely agree with you about othering and that was what I was responding too. 🤷‍♀️

I haven't lived in London in over twenty years but when I did parts of South London were insanely racist and full of EDL, Tommy Robinson type wankers (I'm thinking Eltham/Bermondsey/Millwall in particular. I reckon a lot of those types have headed to the riots going on up North.
Any excuse for them to be racist.. and that's all it boils down to. Where was there outrage when Lucy Letby murdered nine babies, or was that okay because she had blonde hair and blue eyes, absolutely pathetic bunch of animals.

Minority groups turn on other minority groups because it’s easier than blaming powerful governments and organisations for your problems. Reform was run by rich ex bankers but know they can get people on side by blaming vulnerable groups like immigrants. More likely to be a minority group in the north as money is not sent up there. I used to live in Manchester, one of the main northern cities and it was shocking how bad the infrastructure was compared to London.

pikkumyy77 · Today 12:14
Its where the racists are?

Most of these knobheads are rent a mob from the south/south east.

Because these are the areas most affected by high levels of immigration and poverty

Cold and especially rain are a form of nature's police, so to speak.

I'd argue in Scotland that young men have another way of expressing hatred and bigotry, though it has lessened. Celtic or Rangers support.

@Mousefoot Can you give a couple of examples? I don't mean that I disbelieve you but I'm curious as to what is cheaper, apart from house prices.

This

It really frustrates me when some people (not pp on this thread) talk about lack of integration as if the Muslim/immigrant communities deliberately segregate themselves. After I'd moved into my current house I learnt that the reason the previous owners had sold was because a Muslim family had bought next door. They are the loveliest neighbours I could wish to have. Someone else in my road is now moving out because she now has Muslim next door neighbours. People can't on one hand say 'they don't integrate' whilst causing the segregation themselves by moving away when Muslim/immigrant families move into their community.

Needless to say, I'm ashamed of our country at the moment.