Cars burn in Belfast, bricks fly in Southampton â and the ubiquitous cry of âcivil warâ goes up again | John Harris
For most, what we see in real life is mundane. But those who wish to fan the flames of anti-immigrant feeling share a different image
For most, what we see in real life is mundane. But those who wish to fan the flames of anti-immigrant feeling share a different image online It was the summer of 2024 when it all decisively started, with the horrific murders in Southport, countrywide violence and Elon Muskâs observation that a British civil war was somehow âinevitableâ.
A year later came a hot season of flags on lamp-posts, protests outside hotels used to accommodate asylum seekers, the ubiquitous use of the word âtinderboxâ and constant predictions of widespread riots that never actually materialised. Now here we are again, in the aftermath of the awful murder and treatment by the police of Henry Nowak and frightening violence and arson in Belfast, and the civil war predictions seem to be increasing by the hour.
The archive of such material is already bulging. In August 2024, amid the riots, a YouGov poll found that 32% of people thought a UK civil war was either âveryâ or âsomewhatâ likely. A year later, Dominic Cummings said the UK was only ârandom viral posts away from riots and prairie fires getting out of controlâ.
Even Labourâs Lisa Nandy offered the opinion that the north of England was so tense âit could go up in flamesâ. John Harris is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
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