‘Inclusion, solidarity and kindness… not division and hate’

The UK is picking up the pieces, and seeking psychological insight, in the wake of far-right racist riots and violent disorder which spread through towns and cities following the murder of three children in Southport. Axel Rudakubana, 17 at the time of the attacks, has been accused of murdering Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven.

Eight other children and two adults were also injured during the attack, some of them critically, which happened during a Taylor-Swift-themed dance class on Monday 29 July. Rudakubana was initially given anonymity due to his age, but his name was later made public when Judge Menary KC ruled the release of his identity was in the public interest.

Prior to this, disinformation spread online regarding the attacker's identity and background, with false suggestions that he was Muslim and not born in the UK. Racist attacks on people of colour, businesses, and arson of hotels which house people seeking asylum spread from Southport to other UK towns and cities across the UK.

Prime Minister Kier Starmer said the disorder was 'far-right thuggery' and was not protest but rather 'pure violence'. As reported by Full Fact, as of Tuesday 13 August the Crown Prosecution Service for England and Wales had charged 354 people and the Police Service of Northern Ireland had charged 30 people in relation to recent disorder and race hate crimes.

Writing for The Psychologist, Stephen Reicher, Wardlaw Professor of Psychology at the University of St. Andrews, said that in the wake of the 2011 UK riots, he was repeatedly asked why there was rioting. When asked this question by CNN at the time, Reicher responded 'I don't know'.

'Sometimes it makes sense to shut up for a while and listen. Especially if you are an academic. Always map a phenomenon before you offer your theories (something psychologists are not very good at doing).'

Rather than answering the 'why' questions in his article, Reicher pointed out issues with some of the responses so far to the riots, including the assertion that rioters were 'mindless mobs' committing 'mindless violence'. He said while he understood these claims were used as a way to express dismay and disdain for the violent attacks carried out on the police, asylum seekers, Muslims and others, such an approach doesn't explain this behaviour – rather, it stands in the way of an explanation.

The rioters knew what they were doing, Reicher wrote. They were clear in identifying their targets and their actions reflected a conscious ideology. He also pointed out that what happens in crowds often reflects broader sets of beliefs beyond the crowd, and by referring to them as mindless we may miss the signals such events are sending.

Reicher also suggested that crowd psychology in itself strips even reasonable individuals of their identity and transforms them into a howling mob. 'The "mindlessness" trope serves to lump all crowds together, suggest that all crowds are at least potentially violent and leads to a clampdown on all forms of protest. 

This potentially increases the alienation of people from authority, and feeds into the underlying causes of the present unrest. But crowds are not all the same. Those who gathered to defend mosques or to clean up after the violence were also in crowds. They too were subject to crowd psychology, expressing a group identity, acting in terms of group norms and values. But their norms were those of inclusion, solidarity and kindness not of division and hate.'

Professor John Drury (University of Sussex) suggested that certain psychological processes could help to explain why crowds sometimes turn violent – these included having a shared social identity, shared values, and relations with other groups. Drury also suggested events prior to the murders and subsequent riots in Southport may have emboldened far-right rioters.

'Just a few days before the violent rioting in Southport there was a large demonstration in London of "far-right people". We know from research that a large demonstration makes people feel that they aren't alone and that many others feel the same way. Those people getting involved in the violent attacks of the last few days may have felt empowered because they feel opinion is on their side.'

Social Psychology, Drury said, could help to put an end to xenophobic riots such as those seen in recent months through addressing empowerment processes at source. Firstly participants needed to be reminded 'that opinion polls in the UK show public support for immigration. Most people believe it's good for the country. Second, prevent them mobilising and marching, to limit that capacity-building. Third, prevent their actions (including smaller acts of hate) from having a tangible impact – prevent them from turning their subjective identity into objective reality – by negating and cancelling out their effects.'

Finally, he said, as particular identities are empowered or disempowered we could assert and support collective identities which are antagonistic to theirs. 'For example, well-organised and well-attended groups and activities based on international class solidarity help to defeat racism and xenophobia on the streets. This makes solidarity a more realistic aim than any xenophobic or racist vision.'

In the wake of the rioting the British Psychological Society itself condemned racist, violent attacks with society President Dr Roman Raczka writing on the website that many people from minoritised backgrounds were feeling unsafe for themselves, their families, communities, and the future in their personal and professional lives.

'The BPS stands against all forms of racism, xenophobia and extremism and we would encourage members to seek support for themselves and each other during these challenging times,' Raczka said. 'We are mindful of the diversity of service users and carers who access psychological services including children and young people, individuals with intellectual disabilities and those belonging to different faiths and no faith. The BPS is committed to inclusivity for all and encourages its members to support one another personally and professionally during these times of unrest.'

Dr Sarah Parry (University of Manchester), a committee member of the British Psychological Society's Faculty for Children, Young People and their Families and Professor Vivian Hill (UCL), of the BPS's Division of Educational and Child Psychology provided advice to families for supporting children and young people following tragic and traumatic events. 

They suggested encouraging children to ask questions about events and ask children and young people open questions about what they know and how they feel. They also suggested highlighting those people who help in traumatic and tragic situations and using storybooks, music or toys to help young people express their feelings.

Parry and Hill also encouraged parents and carers to simplify their language. 'Avoid words like "horrific" or "terrible", which may not mean much to younger children. Instead, use words like sad, scary, brave, or kind. If appropriate, you can also offer reassurance as to how unusual it is for younger children to be in danger from strangers.'

They also encouraged parents and carers to be aware of where children and young people were accessing news about events themselves. 'We know that fake news is an issue, particularly on social media sites, so be mindful of what your children are absorbing and where they are getting it. Ensure they understand that not everything they see on social media sites is true, and they know what reliable sources of news they can access. BBC Newsround provides age-appropriate content.'

Finally, Parry and Hill encouraged parents to seek professional advice and support for their children if necessary and to offer children more than just words. 'Ensure children feel supported and safe. It's important to help them understand the level of threat to them, their friends and family. Explain this is an extremely rare event and most unlikely to affect their safety. Above all, reassure children they are safe and loved – a hug can significantly help, especially if you can't find the words you are looking for in the moment.'

Chartered Psychologist Dr Pete Olusoga wrote a thread on X/Twitter viewed more than 770,000 times, which he subsequently turned into a blog post. After outlining the influence of deprivation, online manipulation, bias and misinformation in the media, he concluded: 'Racism is in Britain's DNA. It's baked into all of our institutions. It's in our buildings, it's in education, it's in policing, it's in sports, it's in sports commentary, it's in the TV we watched as kids, and it's in the TV we watch now. Racism is in our politics, and it's absolutely, unequivocally, undeniably in our media. It's in our science and our technology. Our "great thinkers" and philosophers were racist, our political heroes were racist. I'm utterly unsurprised that we are where we are, with race riots on the streets of the UK. Horrified, yes, but surprised? Not one little bit. Because this has been building for years and years and we've just watched it happen.'