Anyone seen what's happening in Birmingham now

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People out slashing sky news tyres, surrounded the reporting female journalist, a man was battered outside a pub by a mob
wtf is going on !

I think you need to stop gleefully spreading "facts" to fuel unrest. You do that, I'll take you seriously.

I can't read the Times article because of the paywall, @CassieMaddox, but fully agree the gravestone desecration was a disgrace and the foul chanting hardly any better

Then again I felt much the same when Jewish people and premises were targeted during the Gaza demonstrations, but that wasn't always a welcome view at the time

Here you go pickled
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13705991/amp/Muslims-hiding-Southport-mosque-feared-die-thugs-mayhem.html

Google is your friend. Especially if you stick to reputable sites where they verify their content before publishing. As much as I dislike the Daily Mail, I'd trust them over random twitter accounts any day.

@dont be daft.

Until last night there had been no thuggery from the Muslim community in relation to these riots. So why would you expect Starmer to mention anything other than the far right thuggery in his last two press conferences?

It is not Starmer fuelling the fire. It's the far right and their sympathisers, spreading hate and misinformation on the internet. It's not overt a lot of the time and is often dressed up in sheep's clothing. But once you know what to look for, it is obvious.

This, mixed in with racism.

Civil war is not out of the realms of possibility

Of course it is, don't listen to what that arse Musk comes out with.

Almost like "both sides" aren't as bad as each other at all

I have to admit to being uninterested in "sides", Cassie; I don't even like the word and personally condemn this appalling behaviour no matter where it comes from - no ifs, buts or exceptions

I just wish our leaders were keen to do the same, if only to avoid handing extremists a gilt-edged opportunity

Extremism is never justified and blaming leaders for handing them the opportunity to be extremist shows a certain level of sympathy with the extremists. It's not an approach I'd take to any extremists, regardless of their background.

The perception of "two-tier" justice has become more apparent over the past few years. A few years ago (before the massacres in Israel), a group of Pro-Palestinian men drove around very Jewish areas of London in big trucks with Palestine flags and banners and a loudspeaker, shouting "Fuck their mothers, rape their daughters" in reference to Jews. The CPS did not prosecute them. I have no doubt that if this were far-right, white men shouting such things and intimidating Jewish families, they would be prosecuted without any time being wasted.

... blaming leaders for handing them the opportunity to be extremist shows a certain level of sympathy with the extremists

Not sure how condemning appalling behaviour no matter where it comes from equates to sympathy for extremists, Cassie, but of course I respect your right to an opinion no matter how mistaken it happens to be

The BBC have just announced that "500 more prison places" will be created to cope with those involved in the Southport atrocities. Clearly this is the right thing to do, but once again it seems a shame to see one group mentioned instead of all of them

It comes from your own words:

"I just wish our leaders were keen to do the same, if only to avoid handing extremists a gilt-edged opportunity"

Maybe I understood what you meant by handing extremists a gilt edged opportunity. Perhaps you can explain.

This !!

Why is Elon musk even piping up? Has he really not got better things to do with his billions of dollars ?!

Maybe I understood what you meant by handing extremists a gilt edged opportunity. Perhaps you can explain

Gladly, Cassie ... the nature of extremists and their foetid mindsets means that reason gets tossed aside and replaced by the kind of hatred which will seize upon the least "excuse" for hideous behaviour

So it's not that they'd be justified in thinking they'd been offered an opportunity, more that IMO it would be wiser to avoid giving them any reason to think it in the first place

OK. My interpretation remains therefore that you think leaders should be constrained in what they say and do for fear of extremists.

I strongly disagree. Giving in to extremism doesn't work. I'm completely behind Starmer being no tolerance of rioting and violent disorder on the streets. Not really bothered if it upsets the racists. They are like toddlers.

Hi all,
We're still seeing obvious goading on here, could we knock it on the head so that the thread can continue? eg if you find yourselves poised to post comedy eye emojis, we would politely ask that you reconsider unless you are very certain that you are being amusing. Also, it would be very helpful for us busy mods at MNHQ if you would use the 'quote' function that we have provided as it makes deletions (when we need to make them) very much easier and faster.

We have directed a couple of threads to this one in order to keep the conversation broadly in one place so would expect to see eg discussion of the Prime Minister's public messaging, policing, reporting etc but no conversation can take place without an assumption of good faith, and should we see continued goading from anyone from this point onwards we will be forced to take more decisive action. Again, peace and love.

In Birmingham, the majority of the rioters are not white.

But I guess that doesn't follow the narrative.

A few weeks ago it also wasn't white men that were setting buses on fire due to children being taken in to care.

Literally 2 weeks ago, it also wasn't white men that were up in arms that a Police Officer hurt THUGS at Manchester Airport.

It only as issue when it is white men doing it.

It only as issue when it is white men doing it.

That's utter rubbish and you know it.

The sheer scale of this is somewhat different though, is it not?