Police and politicians will be picking the bones out of what didn’t happen last night – and feeling relieved that none of those bones were broken.
So why didn’t the far-right turn up at the 100 or locations identified as targets in the online rallying calls?
There’s probably no single reason.
UK riots latest: Dawn raids launched on riot suspects
For sure, lots of police and the thousands of anti-racism demonstrators made a big difference, though the two groups don’t speak with the same voice entirely, as one counter-protester outside a targeted building in Liverpool said: “We’re here to protect it because we don’t trust the police to do it.”
And swift and tough justice – three years jail time for one man – already being handed down was a clear deterrent, as rioters discovered that a face mask doesn’t stop police from identifying you from your tattoos and other distinguishing features.
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It’s not just the riot cops you’re confronting on the street you have to worry about – there’s an army of their colleagues behind the scenes studying you on CCTV, officers’ body-worn cameras, and other less obvious technology.
Naming and releasing photos of those charged, and publication of their addresses, may make heroes of some, but bring shame on many others.
When you dreamed of being famous, you might not have had in mind your mugshot on the front of The Sun with the headline: “Nailed and Jailed.”
It can’t be much fun for anyone, their family, or their neighbours to be marched by police out of their home at dawn in front of a TV camera, as we saw today in London.
We’ll be watching more of that around the country.
One seasoned far-right supporter told me his mates would gladly go to prison “for England’, but the warning from National Police Chiefs’ Council chair Gavin Stephens may have resonated with younger would-be rioters.
“A few hours of foolish behaviour will affect your future prospects, what jobs you can have and where you can travel,” he said.
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Many police forces are now publishing rogues’ galleries of suspects who weren’t nicked on the night, but will likely be arrested in coming days and weeks.
After the 2011 London riots, trouble-makers were still being rounded up a year on.
Read more:
Top cop says ‘fears of extreme-right disorder abated’
Further protests planned in coming days, says policing minister
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All this may have taken the sting out of the rioters’ intentions for now, but the 2011 disorder that spread from the capital was prompted by anti-police anger over the shooting dead of Mark Duggan, a black man, who was under surveillance.
The 2024 riots were prompted by false information about the suspect for the Southport stabbings, but gave rise to widespread concern about the level of illegal immigration in the UK.
Although the rioters didn’t turn up last night, they may feel they have managed over a week or more to spread a fear among black and Asian communities that will linger long after the physical damage has been repaired.
