Mob violence is deplorable but genuine concerns over immigration cannot be pushed to the fringes
The violence and destruction seen in Belfast on Tuesday night and the protests that turned violent in Southampton last week is indicative of the febrile times that the nation finds itself in.
All politicians have a responsibility to defuse tensions. The populist track that the country finds itself on should be a concern for all who believe in the patriotic values of decency, equality and unity.
The ugly scenes seen in Belfast and Southampton are not the answer to the problems that Britain faces. It won’t fix the underlying issues in policing that led to Henry Nowak being arrested instead of his murderer. People’s concerns about immigration are not going to be addressed by racist mobs setting homes, buses and cars alight.
Across the political spectrum, there is a need now more so than ever before in modern times to build a new political consensus. One that draws the line at peddling hatred towards minorities but doesn’t chastise those that have legitimate concerns about issues such as immigration.
Law abiding, decent people with sincerely held concerns about unchecked borders should not be demonised as a result of the actions of these mobs. Doing so would risk them finding solace with extremists on the fringes of society, ultimately leading to the sort of ugly scences the country has witnessed in recent weeks.
It is incumbent on the established political parties to find a way to facilitate respectable debate about a complex set of issues.
It is also time to acknowledge and deal with meddling in British politics by foreign agents. Social media has enabled them to act as agitators despite, as Northern Ireland’s Justice Minister Naomi Long says, not being able to find Belfast on a map until yesterday. This is an ever present danger to Britain’s democracy.