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.

They targeted and incited hatred against Jews.

So how do you solve the problem of our low birth rate without immigration? Without immigrants, our pool of taxpayers will get smaller and smaller and smaller and our country will get poorer and poorer and poorer. And there won't be enough taxpayers to pay the state pension. Or fund the NHS.

Faux, performative rage? Black people have been targeted and had their homes burned in Belfast. And some people on this thread defend the rioters. It’s appalling. And it’s absurd to suggest that finding it appalling means you don’t care about any victim. It’s nothing to do with justice for the victim, and everything to do with racist thugs.

so they didn’t burn down houses or public property? They just said they don’t like Israel’s actions? That’s not hatred against Jews.

Of course. But public beheadings and removal of eyeballs were never the norm as i understand it? They were horrific but not ISIS.

You make no effort to understand the frustrations and injustice many people are facing. Instead you sanctimoniously preach and use derogatory words about them.

It must be lovely to be so unaffected by the terrible economic situation this country faces and to not care about diminishing access to desperately needed, overstretched public services. To not worry that there seems to be no way out of the mess we are in. Lucky you!

Yes. Sorry I should have included them.

Let’s not forget the Quinn’s.

my apologies again.

I would strongly suggest you go and have a google.

I agree with OP. I think people have retreated into their sides of arguments and find it increasingly difficult to see that there is always some right and some wrong everywhere.
There is also a problem in people being able to acknowledge that multiple things can be true at once. The stabbing in Belfast was wrong and so we're the riots.
We should all be horrified by both, and being horrified by one doesn't mean excusing the other nor does being angry with both make both things exactly equal.
We should all be looking at ways to calm things down.

Yeah we’ll all just keep quiet and do as we’re told.

But what caused this economic situation?

Oh that’s right, Brexit (which Farage was responsible for), Truss’ budget, the war in Ukraine (and we know Farage is pretty popular with the Russian regime), and the war in Iran (oh and look at that - Farage also loves Trump who started that!). Those factors, combined with the aging population claiming a huge amount of welfare is the issue.

Your comment is there for all to read. if you write stuff which is blatant fabrication and it never happened. And it’s in disgusting taste, then own it.

🙄🙄🙄

You are joking? The IRA used to blow up huge hotels and shopping centres, killing and maiming dozens of people at a time.

So you can't condemn antisemitism and incitement but still feel you can condemn Musk and Farage for racist incitement?

Can you not see how nonsensical that is?

I’m well aware of that, similar happened in Manchester not long ago (not IRA). I’m pointing out the graphic torture is new. And yes it’s worse when it’s somebody that was actively let into the country versus homegrown scum you could do little about.

I do condemn antisemitism.

The marches were not antisemitism and are some weird distraction tactic to try and justify people burning down houses.

Agree about the low birth rate issue and even that immigration can help to ameliorate it - but the uncontrolled immigration we've seen, plus the prioritising of giving arrivals public service funding, has been an unsustainable drain on the economy

Brexit was all David bloody Cameron's idea. It was a shiny new toy he gave to the electorate to help him get re-elected. And then he pissed off and left the country to deal with it.

They are thugs.

I assume you know what would means? As in, it’s a hypothetical scenario in which I’m saying the same idiots burning houses down today were the same idiots who voted for Brexit? And that Brexit was sold on the basis of Polish migration being one of the large issues that Farage et al said would be solved? Or do you forget what happened ten years ago?

Can it help? 7 million immigrants later and our NHS is still ‘on its knees’ and economy shite?

His idea, but caused by Farage et al.

We’re now ten years in and thankfully the educated amongst us are starting to see what a mistake it was.

You have no idea what I'm facing, and endless civil unrest with no clear aim is not the answer.

What are your talking about? Making stuff up about a dead kid being racially abused is really low.