to be utterly sick of protests, marches, rallies, and riots

[NameChangeMay2026]

What happened today in Belfast was dreadful. Of course it was.

When Sarah Everard died, there were marches. But a day before she died, an Indian woman Sarah's age was knifed to death in the street in Leicestershire. It was an "honour" killing, I think.

Where was HER lantern on the doorstep of Downing Street? Where was HER march?

My point is, dreadful things happen every day and I am so sick and tired of news items sparking so much public rowdiness. It used to be that the media could report on current events without starting a riot. I know that we have always had riots, but they were the occasional one. And because they were not common, they helped effect change. They were a desperate measure reserved for when nothing else had helped.

Now, together with marches, rallies, and protests, society is constantly disrupted, and I am so, so sick of it. I live in a major city and I can't go anywhere without checking what march, rally, protest, or riot is happening, especially at the weekends. And they are so common that they don't help effect change anymore.

The riots are terrible. Thousands and thousands of pounds' worth of lost property in fires, injured bystanders, police calld away from other duties to attend them. And there are "professional" rabble-rousers who travel to marches, protests, and riots. It's not because they're passionate about a cause. They're just passionate about causing trouble.

I travel for work to major American cities and it's even worse over there. Another day, another riot/protest/march/rally.

They have become a feature of today's society, and I wish they would just stop.

Edit: I actually stay in more because of them. I don't go out of my hotel as much when staying in America, and I don't go to the city centre where I live as much. It's so bad when regular people are put off from walking around city centres because of all these annoying dickheads.

I think it is worse in America, and I'm tired of feeling scared to go out when there, in case I run into an uncontrolled crowd - where the police have guns, and the protestors might, depending on the state.

The burning buildings in Belfast are a disgrace. It's not the owners' fault that this happened.

That’s not great is it

Locals from these towns need to realise that their behaviour is actually worse than any asylum seeker because they causing havoc in their own communities which is shameful

I think all they can do is have a blanket ban and while morally I disagree with treating would be migrants as a monolith (as somebody who has been a migrant herself) I think that’s where we have to end up. And so some countries will just have to be blacklisted for asylum / migration.

Christ. Think about what you are posting please.

Pub louts are 'worse than any asylum seeker'. Even the ones who stab mums in the head with screw drivers, rape children for fun or behead people in the streets.

Really?

The right to protest is a bedrock of democracy. Thank god we live in a democratic society and not somewhere like Iran.

Several million black and brown people have migrated to the UK in recent years?

Same especially when nothing changes expect mess on the street, blocked traffic and people getting arrested

It’s a shame because the attacker was fought off so bravely for it all to be turned into chaos by the rioters. Protests yes but violent rioters absolutely not.

it’s now a toxic mess

True

Will they hell.

Just watching some of the videos of residents having their cars, homes and all their personal possessions burnt to a ground.

One person was crying because they can’t find their cat and think it was inside when they escaped.

One guy is white and born and bred in Belfast.
He said he was begging them to not set fire saying he’s ‘one of them’ and not an immigrant but they still did it anyway.

Those poor residents 💔

Imagine having your entire life ruined because someone somewhere got stabbed and people are using it as excuse to act like violent thugs.

Exactly. People want numbers reduced and government shows no interest in making this happen. What should people do when government doesn't represent them? Civil war or revolution historically. But it would be much much better if responsible government took on board what the electorate actually wanted and did something about it.
If Labour have reduced numbers,and there is evidence to support it, they should be shouting it from the roof tops. Not trying to hide it under the radar so left wing activists don't get to hear it. Why is KS not in Belfast today telling people he shares their valid concerns and telling them he has done (whatever he has done) proudly?
He won't though. He'll try and condemn them as nasty racists. Because, well God knows why, but it isn't helpful and he needs to be alongside these people, not against them.

This!

Protest, absolutely. Violent thuggery not so much.

Numbers are reducing?

Why are they attacking people’s homes? That’s the weird part. But I guess Belfast does have an especially violent history compared to the rest of the UK

Evil. Absolutely evil.

Do you support the protesters setting fire to people's homes, people who didn't have anything do with the incident. They could've been burnt alive, is that okay to you?

I posted earlier that the director of Migration Observatory (impartial, evidence based) had said that if you look at non-citizens who have been convicted of crime their share of convictions are higher than their share in the population. She was unable to give evidence of the immigration status of these people (as the government does not publish this) nor did she mention the crimes committed by those convicted.

Really, indeed? Can you compare those with those asylum seekers who do such vile, horrendous things?

Because they’re violent thugs

Belfast, Southampton and Southport were not protests, they were riots.

Theyre the most popular political party. Who do you think supports them?

Maybe the aim of a riot is so that police don’t focus on public reassurance and instead politicians focus on fixing the cause.

Is McGregor a loyalist as he seems to be leading the charge for immigrant removal? I’ve heard repeatedly this is a loyalist thing so just checking.

If only it was that simple, then we would have no crimes committed by people with mental health issues every again.