[Choi Junyoung's World+] Poverty and Anti-Immigration Sentiment Spark Riots in England

Concerns Over Wage and Income Decline Due to Immigration Inflows
Strong Opposition Among White Working Class
Riots Erupt in 7 Out of 10 Impoverished Areas
Far-Right Forces in England Expand Influence
Among Youth Through Social Media Without
Traditional Organizations or Leaders

Choi Jun-young, Senior Advisor at Law Firm Yulchon (Global Legal Affairs and Policy)

England experienced two weeks of major turmoil as riots that broke out on July 29 in Southport, northwest London, spread across the country. The cause of the riots was a rumor that three elementary school students had been killed by an asylum seeker. Although the actual perpetrator was a British citizen of the second generation, the son of a Rwandan immigrant, the anger spread uncontrollably. Thousands gathered in 22 cities and towns to attack mosques, Muslim residential areas, and shops owned by immigrants, and assaulted immigrants.

As an empire on which the sun never set and that ruled the world, England has experienced periodic racial riots throughout the 20th century. Starting with large-scale riots in 1919, clashes between Black youths and the police continued mainly in impoverished areas until the 1970s. Since the 1990s, large-scale riots have occurred roughly every ten years, and analyses suggest that this recent riot fits into that cycle.

England, which receives over 1.3 million immigrants annually, has been considered one of the most immigration-friendly countries among major nations. Fifty-five percent of the entire British population responds that immigration positively impacts the country's development, which is more than twice the level of France and Germany. However, after the immigration crisis following the Syrian civil war in 2015 hit European countries, anti-immigration sentiment strengthened, and recent polls show that 51% of the public regard immigration as the most important national issue.

British attitudes toward immigrants vary significantly by social class. The proportion of those who believe a significant reduction in immigrants is necessary is only 23% among senior corporate managers and professionals, but rises to 42% among the impoverished class. By age, opposition increases with age: 40.9% of those aged 66 and older believe immigration reduction is necessary, while only 11.7% of those aged 18 to 25 hold this view. As in most countries, the UK also shows a strong tendency for working-class white people to oppose immigration, believing that immigrant inflows reduce wages and income. Long-term studies conducted from 1994 to 2016 show that among the lowest 20% of wage earners in the working class, some impact from immigrants is evident but at a minimal level. However, workers do not perceive it that way, and especially among skilled laborers, there is strong resentment and calls for reduction of immigrants.

On July 29 (local time), police confronting protesters in Liverpool, UK [AFP Yonhap News]

The recent riots have renewed interest in the far-right forces in England. In the 1930s, the British Union of Fascists (BUF), led by aristocrat Oswald Mosley, gathered a force of over 50,000 and exerted political influence. After World War II, this group shifted from direct attacks on immigrants to aggressive street campaigns, a line later inherited by the National Front (NF), the leading anti-immigration force in the 1970s. However, these groups rapidly declined after the 1990s, and currently, the British National Party (BNP) maintains a presence only in local councils and the European Parliament. The decrease in racist attitudes across British society is evident from the fact that in 1995, 48% answered "yes" to the question "Must you be born in Britain to be British?" but this dropped to 17% in 2023. The simple first-past-the-post electoral system without proportional representation, which supports the two-party system, has also had a significant impact.

However, amid the political turmoil surrounding Brexit (the UK's withdrawal from the European Union) in 2016, far-right forces have diversified and expanded their influence. Far-right political forces in the UK now include not only overtly racist groups of the past but also populist radical right-wing groups, increasing diversity. These radical right-wing groups show atypical forms of organization and action, gathering around social media influencers without concrete organizations or leaders. Among the well-known figures is Axl Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson. A former hooligan, he claims that Britain is being overrun by immigrants and advocates the use of violence to oppose them, inciting riots. However, he himself does not appear to participate directly in the riots. These radical right-wing groups are expanding their political influence by penetrating young people's lives through activities such as computer gaming and running fight clubs, moving away from traditional political centers.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer is taking strong judicial measures. Starmer led the arrest and prosecution of about 1,300 rioters during the large-scale riots in 2011. So far, over 70% of those arrested through identification via social media videos have criminal records. Although the British courts are notorious for trial delays, they are responding swiftly to the riot cases by implementing 24-hour trials and have already sentenced more than 30 people to a total of over 70 years in prison.

However, there are also claims that the recent riots cannot be simply seen as a result of anti-immigration sentiment. Riots occurred in seven of the ten poorest areas in England, showing a combination of poverty and anti-immigration sentiment. This is partly because policies that require asylum seekers to stay in cheap hotels make it seem as if impoverished areas bear a disproportionate burden of immigrants, and also because residents feel excluded from humanitarian support, which is cited as a cause of the riots.

Labor shortages centered in developed countries are driving immigration expansion, but the recent riots in England clearly show that many twists and turns will occur in the process. As we are experiencing rapid labor shortages across all sectors of society, proactive consideration is needed on how to prevent and resolve such issues.

Choi Jun-young, Legal Specialist at Yulchon LLC (Global Law & Policy)