The long-term impact of the Southport riots for young people

Children as young as eleven across the UK have received criminal charges after taking part in rioting following the tragic attack in Southport. One fifteen-year-old has even been charged with rioting, which carries higher sentences than other criminal offences. Violence and hatred have overshadowed a community’s need for a peaceful grieving period.

 In this piece, we consider what can adults working with young people do for those who have been involved in violence and hate.

The riots were prompted by a racist and anti-migrant reaction to the actions of a young person. 17-year-old Axel Muganwa Rudakubana has been charged with three counts of murder and ten counts of attempted murder. Whilst Rudakubana’s exact motivations are unclear and may surface as legal proceedings continue, the fact remains that he is a young perpetrator with young victims.

Now even more children have become embroiled in the situation, being charged with throwing objects at police, attacking a bus outside a hotel housing asylum seekers and perpetrating hate crimes on high streets. These children are not being identified for child protection purposes, but many are as young as eleven or twelve.

The Weaponisation of “Protecting Children”

Leading organisations who tackle violence against women and children have condemned the weaponisation of the attack in Southport to incite violence. Far-right rioters claiming to be there out of a desire to protect children are acting on a different agenda, one of Islamophobia, racism and anti-migrant hatred. 

Photos and videos from social media show that as well as adults, children are taking part in rioting. Arrests and charges will clarify the full extent of involvement, but videos such as an attack on a Middle Eastern shop on the Falls Road in Belfast and throwing rocks at police in Darlington show how young people have participated in unrest. 

Many of the children attending demonstrations and riots will have been brought along by adults who were meant to be caring for them. Although many rioters claim to be there out of concern for children’s safety, they do not seem to recognise the risks of allowing young people to participate in violence, or modelling violent behaviour for impressionable children.

Being witness to horrific attacks, such as throwing bricks at mosques and setting alight hotel accommodation with people who have sought asylum still inside, will undoubtedly have a long-lasting effect on young people. Some who participated will even find themselves held accountable by the law for engaging in criminal activity, some of which might have been impulsive.

Whether or not these young people have been radicalised to believe far-right ideologies or are simply mimicking behaviour they have seen, they have made decisions during this time period which might affect the rest of their lives.

Young men and violence

In our report on young people’s hateful attitudes, we found that almost half of young men aged 16-25 (48%) agree that in certain circumstances, violence can be necessary to defend something you strongly believe in.¹ This is compared to 34% of young women, which is broadly in line with the average for adults aged 25 and over (31%).² Although an answer to a polling question should not be taken as a clear expression of interest, support for violence is consistently higher for men.

Adults responding to a harrowing and emotional event with violence and hatred sets a worrying example for young people. The language of the riots has tapped into a socialised masculinity which encourages men to take a stand, defend their communities – and implicitly, “their” women – and use force to make their voices heard. 

These incitements to violence play on young men’s desire to prove themselves and sense of duty to protect their loved ones. Engaging in rioting does not actually function as protection, it increases fear, panic and danger – but this might be lost on these children. Some of them are too young to legally work part-time doing a paper round.

The riots provide an opportunity for those who have up until now only been passively engaging with this content to take action into their own hands. The rapid snowballing of grievances, hooked on to disinformation about the attack, supplied people across a spectrum of interests with reasons to get involved. Because of their localised nature and the timing during the summer holidays, there are also fewer logistical barriers to children’s participation. 

That said, there are many reasons why young men might be more likely to support the idea of violence as defence but not approve of or partake in rioting. The question does not specifically refer to offensive or hate-driven violence. Young people tend to hold higher levels of anti-establishment views more generally, and this can include supporting radical causes across the political spectrum. They might also have a less clear understanding of the full implications of the question.

Where do we go from here?

Reducing men to a monolith who are broken beyond repair only makes matters worse. Many men have set a positive example: rebuilding their community, condemning violence and supporting those who have been targeted.

In two weeks’ time, schools will restart for the new academic year. Friends and neighbours, students and school staff will have to look each other in the eye knowing that some amongst them have participated in or encouraged some of the worst far-right violence in this country in the post-war period.

As well as those who have taken part in racist rioting, Muslim, migrant and minoritised young people will have seen street attacks against people like them on an unprecedented scale. Whether they have witnessed violence in their own community or watched it online, they will be processing feelings of fear, indignation and anger. They are at risk of becoming suspicious and withdrawn from the wider community. Efforts are needed to heal these divisions and help these young people feel safe and included.

The government must provide schools with clear guidance on how to talk about the rioting with students. This includes not only supporting young people who may be fearful or distressed, but also looking at who believes in violence as an appropriate response or even a solution, and why.

Young men need to be given space to consider attitudes to violence and masculinity, and the effects this behaviour can have on themselves and others. They need to be able to do this without feeling blamed, defensive, criminalised or intrinsically bad. A wider exploration of masculinity that goes beyond “social scripts” of what boys think adults want to hear is desperately needed, and teachers need to be given the skills, information and time to engage in this important work.

1. Nationally representative poll of 2,040 respondents aged 16-24. Fieldwork by Focaldata, 9th – 18th January 2024. ↩︎
2.  Nationally representative poll of 24,952 adults. Fieldwork by Focaldata, 19 December 2023 – 16th January 2024. ↩︎