Britain | A tragedy, then a riot

A riot in Southport shows how the British far right is changing

It has become easier to spread lies and stir up trouble online  

Floral tributes laid in memory of Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, in Southport.
The overwhelming reactionPhotograph: Mirrorpix

IT WAS AN ugly moment in a traumatic week. Sir Keir Starmer had come to visit the site of a horrific knife attack that had taken place on July 29th in Southport in which three children had been killed and ten others injured. By the time the prime minister arrived in the seaside town in north-west England the next day, conspiracy theories had been swirling online for hours. An angry mob heckled him as he lay flowers. “Get the truth out,” one yelled.

Explore more

The Economist today

Handpicked stories, in your inbox

A daily newsletter with the best of our journalism

More from Britain

The evolution of Britain’s extreme right

White nationalism has become more amorphous and more online

What will Great British Energy do?

The new body’s first job is to unblock private investment

Britain’s railways go from one extreme to another

Departing: privatisation. Destination: centralisation