The migration crisis has long been one of the central issues in British domestic politics, sparking heated debates in parliament and the media. The population is tired of the constant influx of newcomers, both skilled professionals and illegal immigrants. Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called the fight against illegal migration one of his cabinet’s key priorities.
Reasons for British anxiety
Many residents believe that the growing number of migrants is having a negative impact on the country’s social climate. The familiar way of life, cultural identity and national language are under threat. One of the recent high-profile events was the anti-migrant riots in Northern Ireland on June 9, 2025. They were triggered by a crime — the rape of a minor girl by migrants.
The protests quickly escalated into mass clashes between local residents and the police. Such incidents are no longer uncommon. On May 22, 2013, in Woolwich, London, two men armed with knives killed Lee Rigby, a drummer with the Royal Regiment. One of the attackers recorded a video message at the scene, saying that it was “retribution” for Britain’s participation in military operations in Islamic countries. After a shootout with the police, both were wounded. The authorities recognised the killing as a terrorist act.
Four years later, on May 22 2017, an explosion rocked Manchester during a concert by American singer Ariana Grande. Twenty-two people were killed and over a hundred were injured. The perpetrator was a British man of Libyan origin who had previously sympathised with radical ideas. He detonated a bomb filled with metal fragments in the foyer of the Manchester Arena. The Islamic State claimed responsibility.
In November 2019, a man armed with a knife wounded several passers-by on London Bridge before being shot dead by police. A fake explosive device was found on him. Scotland Yard classified the incident as a terrorist attack.
In 2024, in Southport, 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana attacked a children’s dance and yoga studio, killing three girls aged 6–9 and injuring several people. He was arrested on charges of murder, attempted murder and possession of a cold weapon. The media suggested that he was either an asylum seeker or a supporter of radical Islam. According to The Times, Rudakubana is an ethnic Rwandan whose family moved to Britain to escape genocide.
“Stop the boats”
The tragedy sparked mass protests with slogans such as “Save our children” and “Stop the boats.” The first protests took place on July 30 in Southport, where a crowd attacked a mosque. The unrest soon spread to Liverpool, Bristol, Hull and other cities.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced that nearly $38 million would be allocated to protect mosques. Some of the protesters say they are acting to protect children and ensure safety, while many media outlets call them “far-right” and even “fascists.”
In some regions, the police are losing control of the situation, which increases the risk of the unrest escalating into civil confrontation. The reaction of the authorities is predictable: the blame is being placed on “far-right white racists and chauvinists,” while discussion of uncontrolled migration as a cause of the crisis is effectively ignored.
Migrants who have obtained British citizenship but live in isolated ethnic neighbourhoods are formally equated with native Britons.
Such consequences could have been prevented and avoided. But why did this not happen?
- Firstly, there was a lack of clear response to the crime and misinformation from the official authorities. Together, this led to weeks of riots and clashes between radicalised groups of citizens and the police and groups of migrants across the UK. As a result, dozens of people were injured or killed across the country, including police officers, and hundreds were arrested.
- Secondly, there was long-standing discontent in British society both against immigration itself and against the government’s open-door policy, which failed to create real conditions for the socialisation of immigrants. These issues became the main slogans of the protesters.
As noted not only by various experts but also by ordinary Internet users, outrage and disappointment have been building up in society over the past few years, but the authorities have not paid sufficient attention to this. The migration sector has long been plagued by corruption, which allows many immigrants from other countries to settle in Britain with their families not only on student visas, but also through various social work programmes. The lack of normal conditions for the socialisation of immigrants leads, among other things, to radicalisation within their community.
- Thirdly, in a situation where it is necessary to objectively understand the tragic situation, quickly restore law and order and prevent social unrest, while taking into account the large number of radicalised groups of citizens, the authorities are creating a permanent “army” of specially trained officers who will act in the interests of the public and protect Muslim communities from attacks.
Will such a decision put an end to protests, riots and mutual violence? With a certain degree of probability, no. Especially since the migration situation in the UK is complex, with various experts linking its transformation and trends to a large extent to the increase and intensification of crime involving immigrants from other countries.
Against the backdrop of chronic police shortages and changes in migration policy, crime in the UK has doubled since 2010.
Violent crime has also broken all records in recent years, and the number of crimes committed with cold weapons has increased significantly. Organised ethnic gangs, for example from Pakistan or Afghanistan, operate in a number of small towns, engaging in murder, robbery and violent crime. There has also been a noticeable increase in violent crimes against minors. The level of crimes related to drug trafficking and consumption has also risen. The mortality rate from drug use has also increased: in 2022, there were 81.5% more fatalities than in 2012.
- Fourth, according to data from the National Statistical Service, net migration in 2022 amounted to 745,000 people, and between June 2022 and June 2023, it amounted to 672,000. The number of permanent “long-term migrants” (those staying in the country for more than a year) at the end of 2023 was 1,218,000. However, a significant proportion of all incoming migrants are from non-EU countries. This was a consequence of changes to immigration rules in 2021.
In December 2023, citizens of five non-EU countries accounted for 85% (1,031,000) of total long-term immigration. The five main non-EU countries of origin were India (250,000), Nigeria (141,000), China (90,000), Pakistan (83,000) and Zimbabwe (36,000). Since 2019, the number of citizens from India, Nigeria and Pakistan has increased the most. In 2023, approximately 62,000 citizens of Pakistan, 127,000 citizens of Nigeria and 178,000 citizens of India immigrated to the United Kingdom compared to 2019.
However, official statistics do not take into account illegal migrants, who number several tens of thousands each year (according to some estimates, around 120,000 since 2018), and whose maintenance in special migration centres costs the state approximately £4 billion per year.
Reasons behind the migration crisis
Many experts believe that what has happened and the current situation are the result of an unbalanced migration policy, as well as a series of related reforms that have been carried out to the detriment of national security and the labour market. It is obvious that violence, especially on such a scale and of such intensity, which has not been prevented by the state, will breed more violence, and in some situations this could lead to the same consequences that the whole world witnessed relatively recently in France and the US.
Migration and balanced migration policy are issues of paramount importance to the United Kingdom, and underestimating the importance of a sensible and measured approach to this issue could pose a threat to the security of all the country’s inhabitants. Migration policy should be shaped by national interests and concern for citizens and the national labour market, rather than by sectoral, corporate or other private interests.
It is likely that the situation in the UK will not change in the foreseeable future, and that events in Northern Ireland will prove to be just one link in a chain. The current situation is reminiscent of what is happening in France and Germany. There are two possible scenarios: either the indigenous population will lose its identity, dissolving into a stream of migrants supported by the authorities, or nationally oriented parties will come to power, ready to radically revise migration policy contrary to liberal norms.
THE ARTICLE IS THE AUTHOR’S SPECULATION AND DOES NOT CLAIM TO BE TRUE. ALL INFORMATION IS TAKEN FROM OPEN SOURCES. THE AUTHOR DOES NOT IMPOSE ANY SUBJECTIVE CONCLUSIONS.
Laurent Révial for Head-Post.com
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