‘Sinister influence’ behind UK riots revealed as 500 extra prison spots ‘freed up’ as violence escalates

The UK is in turmoil as violent riots spread like wildfire – and sick details have emerged about how the “powder keg” was really lit.

Britain’s Labour government is just one month old. It won in a landslide. Now, it’s facing the worst national unrest in more than a decade.

The UK is a powder keg. The cost of living is soaring. Its economy is backsliding. Its essential services are underfunded and dysfunctional. Politicians are held in contempt.

This was detonated by the vicious killing of three young girls attending a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport last week.

And a well-woven web of deceit.

Mark Twain once said that a lie will fly around the world while the truth is getting its boots on.

That’s the reality facing British police as unrest continues to spill over in cities and towns nationwide.

Some 6000 specialist officers are being prepared as a rapid-reaction force to confront the rioting. An extra 500 prison spaces have been “freed up” in advance of their deployment.

An extra 500 prison spaces have reportedly been ‘freed up’. Picture: Justin Tallis/AFP

Hundreds have already been arrested in locations including London, Belfast, Manchester and Liverpool.

Not only for attacking people, property and police. Some will front the Old Bailey for “influencing” the violence.

“That should send a very powerful message to anybody involved, either directly or online,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said earlier this week.

Social media is at the heart of the nation’s crisis.

A 17-year-old was immediately arrested and charged with the knife murders and brutal woundings following the Southport attack.

In accordance with UK juvenile law, all details of the minor’s identity were initially suppressed.

Extremists immediately took advantage of this.

Messages quickly circulated online insisting he was a recently arrived Syrian immigrant, that he did not have approval to be in the country, that he was a Muslim, and he was named “Ali al Shakati”.

None of this was true.

As the ensuing riots unfolded, British authorities took the extraordinary action of bypassing child confidentiality laws in the hope of dousing the tide of disinformation.

Extremists have plunged the UK into chaos. Picture: Carl Court/Getty Images

They revealed the accused is Axel Rudakubana, a 17-year-old born in Cardiff, Wales. His Rwandan parents are certified immigrants. And he has a Christian background.

But the truth didn’t matter. Even once it got its boots on.

X marks the spot

British-American social media personality Andrew Tate was among the first to post false details about the accused. The self-declared misogynist – currently awaiting trial in Romania on rape and sex trafficking charges – took to X to tell his 9.8 million followers the attacker had “arrived on a boat a month ago”, alongside a post with an image of a man in a dinghy holding a knife and British pound notes.

British far-right activist Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon (who goes by the alias Tommy Robinson) also appears to be in the thick of it all.

He’s a former member of the fascist British National Party. He’s a co-founder of the far-right English Defence League (EDL). And he visited Russia in 2020, where he was feted by Alexander Malkevich, a close associate of the since-assassinated Wagner Group boss (and Russian social media troll farm founder) Yevgeny Prigozhin.

British far-right activist Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon (who goes by the alias Tommy Robinson) visited Russia in 2020. Picture: X/@rwdburley

Robinson’s 900,000 followers on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) regularly rage against Muslims, immigrants and police.

“You should’ve listened @Keir_Starmer”, he tweeted at the British Prime Minister shortly after rioters set fire to a Sunderland police station.

And controversial US billionaire Elon Musk – who owns X – waded into the fray.

He posted “civil war is inevitable” under a video of rioters setting off fireworks at police. This has been viewed 9.6 million times. Musk reputedly has 193 million followers.

Prime Minister Starmer also attempted to use X as a platform to convey his message.

“We will not tolerate attacks on mosques or on Muslim communities,” he posted.

Musk responded, apparently insinuating the white community did not have the same level of protection.

“There is no justification for comments like that,” a spokesman from the PM’s office said on Tuesday.

“Anyone who is whipping up violence online will face the full force of the law.”

How UK law can be applied to a US citizen posting from the US is the crux of the whole social media accountability problem.

Traditional media can be held accountable as television and radio are broadcast, and newspapers printed inside the UK.

“Disinformation is a huge driver of this appalling violence, and we know a lot of those attending these so-called protests are doing so in direct response to what they’ve read online,” Britain’s National Police Chiefs’ Council said in a post.

Riot police face protesters in Bristol. Picture: Justin Tallis/AFP

Unaccountable influencers

British security agencies have noted the widespread riots do not appear to be orchestrated by any single far-right or anti-Islamic group.

Nor is any single social media service to blame, with false information, riot times and locations – even hit lists – appearing on messaging apps, including WhatsApp and Telegram.

“They are propelled by various far-right influencers and local social media accounts amplifying false claims, organising protests, and overtly calling for violence in some cases,” The Soufan Centre international think tank reports.

“This decentralised co-ordination is characteristic of the far-right movement, which typically lacks a formal structure and is driven by the influence of social media personalities.”

UK enforcement agencies said they have traced the origins of the false claim the attacker was named “Ali Al-Shakati” and an illegal immigrant “on the MI6 watch list” to Channel3 Now.

The multi-platform “breaking news” service – which originated as a Russian-based YouTube channel – deleted the posts and issued an apology. But it had already been seen by some two million people, and a worldwide rumour mill was activated.

This included Tate and Robinson.

“Posts from Robinson and Tate were viewed millions of times online, leading citizens to mobilise and engage in massive demonstrations of civil disobedience, arson, vandalism, assault, and looting,” the Soufan Centre states.

But another sinister influence seems to be active beneath it all.

Controversial influencer Andrew Tate (L), pictured with his brother Tristan Tate (R), helped fuel the hate. Picture: Daniel Mihailescu/AFP

“Reports have emerged that disinformation fuelling the riots has been amplified and spread by Russian bots, with the government warning that ‘troll factories’ in countries such as Russia and Iran could play a role in stoking disorder,” adds The Soufan Centre.

“Although it is currently unclear whether the origin of the disinformation is due to state-backed interference, as the societal tensions over immigration have been brewing for years in the UK, the ability of bots and troll factories to stoke hateful narratives and extreme actors demonstrates the threat posed by disinformation intensified by hostile actors.”

Target markets

“Look closely at the pictures of the violent unrest that has spread across England and Northern Ireland and you will notice something that is not being spoken about,” notes De Montfort University Associate Professor Sara Wilford, from the School of Computer Science and Informatics.

“The rioters seen fighting, attacking police and setting fire to buildings are often middle-aged – people in their 40s, 50s and 60s, screaming racist abuse and fighting with police,” Prof Wilford said.

Writing for The Conversation, the online disinformation researcher says her studies are revealing this demographic is especially vulnerable to fake news and conspiracy theories.

“The middle aged are not ‘digital natives’ but they are online,” she said.

A Palestinian flag is waved as anti-racism counter protesters gathered ahead of a potential anti-immigration protest in Walthamstow, United Kingdom. Picture: Carl Court/Getty Images

“And, crucially, they may actually be less informed about the dangers of online misinformation than younger people because they have not been the target of education in the same way.”

But they represent a powerful – if generally invisible – societal group.

“Older people are more likely to be politically engaged and are more likely to vote,” Prof Wilford said.

“And of this group, the roughly middle-aged portion are the most engaged. They are therefore influential. They also often have strong political views.”

Swansea University media lecturer Richard Fern said social media audiences must be addressed, not just the messaging.

“Fact-checking is not useless, but it doesn’t resolve the central problem. Better to identify the silos, and work with their members,” he wrote.

“The people who plant propaganda are far more advanced in their methods than the people trying to stop them.

“They are not thinking about messages but about audience. Hate is click bait. And social media algorithms put it on steroids.”

Jamie Seidel is a freelance writer | @JamieSeidel

Originally published as ‘Sinister influence’ behind UK riots revealed as 500 extra prison spots ‘freed up’ as violence escalates