Was Brexit a false promise? The link between far-right riots in the UK and migration policy
Why are riots flaring up in the UK, sparked by the far-right British Defence League? Jorieke Manenschijn spoke with Dutch news and current affairs programme ‘EenVandaag’ about how broken Brexit promises have contributed to the anger.
Riots are occurring across the UK after three children died in a stabbing attack on 29 July. When a false rumor circulated that the attacker was a Muslim migrant, protesters took to the streets. This has escalated into violent riots targetting Islamic communities and mosques. Jorieke Manenschijn, a researcher and lecturer at Leiden Law School, spoke with EenVandaag about the causes of these riots and how it has more to do with post-Brexit discontent than the attack on 29 July.
In a referendum in 2016, 51.89% of the British population voted to leave the European Union. This was in part due to the expectation by Leave voters that the UK would gain more control over its migration policy. Jorieke Manenschijn explains: 'One of the Brexit promises was that migration would be restricted. But under the surface, there is a much broader dissatisfaction with livelihood security in the UK'. For example, people are worried about inflation and the availability of health care. And, according to Jorieke Manenschijn, there’s no solution on the horizon: 'It might be possible to quell the riots now, but the concerns and sentiments that exist among this group will have to be addressed. So it will be very interesting to see how these problems will be tackled to prevent this getting out of hand again in the future.'
Watch the rest of the interview with Jorieke Manenschijn (in Dutch) on EenVandaag.
Photo: Mylo Kaye via Unsplash+