The UK’s Race Riot Summer

While nations often point to the US and its ongoing racist battles and violence as exemplifying the contradictions of “progressive” Western nations, as our game Coded Black shows, the UK is hardly free from the same violence. Indeed, historically, the UK tends to erupt in virulent racist backlash along a similar timeline as the US. Thus, in 2024, as the US navigated yet another round of misogyny, xenophobia, and racism in Trump’s third presidential campaign (and eventual election), the UK was likewise witnessing racist violence. Below you will find a selection of articles, videos and historical reflections relating to the 2024 UK race riots, exploring the foundations and roots causes, the riots themselves, and also the aftermath.

“‘A dark day’: anger in Rotherham after riot at hotel housing asylum seekers”. Robyn Vinter. The Guardian. 5 August 2024.

“UK riots raise the spectre of racism and evoke haunting memories”. By Anealla Safdar. Al Jazeera. 6 August 2024.

“Far right thugs stop cars to check if drivers are white before letting them pass”. By Nadine White. The Independent. 7 August 2024.

“A week of riots across the UK filled me with fear, but Wednesday’s show of solidarity has given me hope”. By Remona Aly. The Guardian. 8 August 2024.

“Who is behind the Belfast race violence?” By Lyndsey Telford. BBC News NI. 10 August 2024.

“The New Axis of Evil: UK race riots exposed the fringe left and far right work hand-in-hand”. By Samantha Asumadu. The Canary. 10 August 2024.

“Asylum seekers 'traumatised' after hotel riot”. Aine Fox. BBC News. 11 August 2024.

“The UK’s Race Riots: A Trial Run for Another US Insurrection?” By Peter Jukes. Byline Times. 15 August 2024.

“'People are Traumatized': Spreading Race Riots in UK Leave Muslims in Fear”. By Shaheen Abdulla. Inkstick Media. 13 August 2024.

“Ethnic minority shop owners targeted in UK riots fear more attacks”. By Sara Gill. Al Jazeera. 19 Aug 2024.

“Right-Wing Broadcasters Post ‘Absolutely Pointless’ Race Hate Disclaimers on Social Media Amid Jail Terms for Riots Incitement”. By Dan Evans and Tom Latchem. Byline Times. 21 August 2024.

Aftermath

“‘You’re reminded you don’t belong, even if you were born in Britain’: after the riots, reflections on racism”. By Zainab Haji and Jem Bartholomew. The Guardian. 10 August 2024.

“For Black Britons, UK riots leave lasting scars”. By Sharon Kits Kimathi. Reuters. 19 August 2024.

“Riots show how the UK's far right has changed”. By Daniel De Simone. BBC News. 21 August 2024.

“After Riots, UN Calls on UK to Tackle Systemic Racism, Colonial Legacies”. By Almaz Teffera. Human Rights Watch. 2 September 2024.

“Aftermath of the riots”. By IRR News Team. Institute of Race Relations. 19 September 2024.

The Riots

Coded Black gameplay screenshot showing a city scene with a burning figure hanging from a tree.

“Anti-immigrant protesters wreak havoc in across England”. PBS News. 8 May 2024

“The Riots Are a 'Gross Exploitation of an Utter Tragedy'”. Good Morning Britain, ITV. 6 August 2024.

“'Racists are not welcome in Birmingham': Crowd gathers for anti-racism protest”. Sky News. 8 August 2024.

“What Do The Riots Say About Britain? | Ash Sarkar, Aaron Bastani and Rivkah Brown Discuss”. Novara Media. 11 August 2024.

“Two weeks of chaos - UK riots mapped”. Channel 4 News. 14 August 2024.

“Panorama: The Riots That Shocked the Country”. By Darragh MacIntyre. BBC. 19 August 2024.

“Race Riots In The UK: A Deep Dive into a Century of Struggle and Resistance”. The Black History Buff Podcast. 22 August 2024.

“'There's no doubt' the summer riots were racist says Lord Sewell”. Sky News. 9 September 2024.

“How social media helped fuel the 2024 UK riots | People & Power Documentary”. Al Jazeera. 16 October 2024.

Foundations and Historical Reflections

“The 1919 Race Riots Are a Warning From History”. By Tony Collins. Tribune. 9 September 2024.

“Far-right riots in the UK: the culmination of years of rhetoric and policies”. By Yamina Boukaria and Delan Devakumarb. The Lancet. 7 September 2024.

“Laying the Groundwork: How years of anti-migrant activism fed into this summer’s race riots”. Right Response Team. Hope Not Hate. 8 October 2024.

“Look back and see a British history of riots and racial progress. It isn’t pretty, but it is us”. By Robert Winder. The Guardian. 10 August 2024.

“The Race Riots of 1919 in Liverpool and Cardiff”. By Silu Pascoe. Bristol Radical History Group. 21 August 2024.

“The Root Cause of the Race Riots in the UK”. By Lauren Frayer and Greg Dixon. NPR. 8 August 2024.

“There can be no excuses. The UK riots were violent racism fomented by populism”. By David Olusoga. The Guardian. 10 August 2024.

“UK Riots Have Their Roots in a History of Hate”. Alberto Toscano. In These Times. 9 August 2024.

Videos

“You cannot lynch me and keep me in ghettos without becoming something monstrous yourselves. And furthermore, you give me a terrifying advantage. You never had to look at me. I had to look at you. I know more about you than you know about me.”

James Baldwin