Declining Faith in Democracy Leads to Anti-Migration Violence Support

(DailyVantage.com) – According to a survey conducted by UK polling outfit WeThink, more than a third of British people believe that violence is sometimes justified to “get the attention of British politicians.”

The survey, which was conducted during the recent anti-migration riots in the UK, also found that 34 percent believed the attacks on refugee centers were “sometimes necessary” to highlight the UK’s problem with refugees. Another 32 percent of respondents said hostility directed at refugees was sometimes justified, even if it resulted in violence.

The riots spread throughout northern England earlier this month after three young girls were murdered at a party in Southport in late July by a British-born son of Rwandan migrants.

The riots kicked off after protesters attacked a mosque in Southport following the deaths of the three girls and quickly spread to over a dozen towns and cities mostly in northern England.

In Rotherham and Tamworth, protesters vandalized and set fire to hotels being used to house refugees, smashing windows and fighting with police to get inside.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the violence which he blamed on “far-right thuggery” and “racist rhetoric” that singled out the Muslim community.

More than 1,000 people have been arrested but most have faced charges of violent disorder. The first person charged with rioting was a 15-year-old boy who appeared in the Youth Court of South Tyneside in northeastern England on August 15. He separately pleaded guilty to burglary and violent disorder.

According to Chief Crown Prosecutor Gale Gilchrist, the 15-year-old was the first of many people the Crown Prosecution Service expected to charge with rioting.

The charge of rioting is a much more serious offense than violent disorder and carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.

A Manchester man was sentenced to more than three years for physically attacking a black man during a riot in the city. A second man who hurled bricks at police outside of a refugee center was sentenced to 34 months in prison.