Culture Society, Identity and Belonging
UK police are preparing for a difficult night on Wednesday, after far-right groups shared a list of 36 targets including refugee shelters as sites for co-ordinated protests. Hotels housing asylum seekers in Rotherham and Tamworth have been evacuated, while several immigration centres and law offices on the list have temporarily closed. But if the news is bleak, the public response is more encouraging. A YouGov poll found that the vast majority of the public believe the disorder is unjustified and nearly half thought rioters should receive longer sentences than usual. Clean-up operations have been taking place in riot-hit areas, involving hundreds of local residents. A Liverpool library torched in the riots has raised £50,000 to replace stolen and damaged books, while Belfast locals raised more than £70,000 to support Turkish barbers and cafes damaged over the weekend.
Suspects have also started appearing in court, with 100 people charged and more than 400 arrested so far. Jordan Parlour, a 28 year-old from Leeds, has been charged with posting content online intending to stir up racial hatred and faces a maximum seven-year sentence. A 32 year-old man and a 34 year-old woman from Chester have also been arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated harassment on Snapchat and released on bail.
