Within the turmoil that disfigures English cities

Britain police They knew they were in for a tough weekend. On 29 July, three children were murdered at a dance class in Southport. False rumours that their killer was a Muslim and an illegal immigrant who had arrived on a small boat spread quickly online, leading to rioting in the northern city the next day, as well as violence in London, Hartlepool and elsewhere. Sir Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, condemned the unrest as the work of a “tiny, irrational minority” of “far-right” “thugs”. Other demonstrations in English cities on 3 August reinforced this verdict, but also revealed a wider and incipient sense of grievance.