Britain has been convulsed by violence for the past week as crowds spouting anti-immigrant and Islamophobic slogans clashed with police. The disturbances have been fueled by right-wing activists using social media to spread misinformation about a knife attack that killed three girls during a Taylor Swift-themed dance event. As Britain's new government struggles to quell the unrest and announces a “standing army” of specialist police to deal with rioting, here's a look at what’s happening and why. Rumors, later debunked, quickly circulated on social media that the suspect was an asylum-seeker, or a Muslim immigrant. “One of the key pluses for the policing side of neighborhood policing is that you have a consistent intelligence flow,’’ he said.

Source: The Guardian August 07, 2024 10:14 UTC