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CV NEWS FEED // Catholic analyst Clement Lisi has written an explainer shedding light on the wave of anti-Muslim immigration riots that have spread across the UK in wake of attacks that occurred earlier this month.
“Many involved in the protests call themselves patriots who argue that high levels of immigration have undermined British society in recent years,” the Executive Director of ReligionUnplugged.com wrote in an Aug. 8 article summarizing the situation. Lisi is also a former Catholic Analyst for GetReligion.com.
Riots erupted across Britain last week following the devastating Southport stabbing attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance that left three young girls between ages 6 and 9 dead and eight children and two adults injured.
“Soon after the arrest, false information circulated on social media that the suspect was a Muslim migrant,” Lisi explained. “That quickly escalated to a series of anti-Muslim protests in Southport the following day,” which came to a head when rioters began to attack the town’s mosque.
However, Lisi explained, the suspect, Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, 17, was born in Wales and his parents immigrated to the country from Rwanda. Rudakubana’s religion is unknown.
“A majority of the protests have involved a few hundred people — many of whom are far-right extremists — targeting Muslims,” Lisi reported, adding that protestors have set cars on fire, looted stores, and thrown bricks and bottles at mosques and police officers.
“Some migrants have retaliated against the protestors, causing the rioting to escalate,” she continued: “Overall, authorities said 400 people have been arrested since the protests started.”
The situation has been further exacerbated by “high-profile anti-immigration and anti muslim activists,” who have “promoted the protests in online forums,” according to Lisi.
As a result, the UK government has announced it will arrest both those who participate in the riots and those who promote them online. By Aug. 14, Lisi noted, heavy security presence prevented riots from continuing.
