{"text":[[{"start":8.11,"text":"In recent days, Britain has witnessed its worst rioting in over a decade. "},{"start":12.614,"text":"The nation was supposed to be reaping the benefits of political stability after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour party won a significant majority in the July 4 general election. "},{"start":21.694,"text":"Instead, the new government is now grappling with violence and vandalism in towns and cities up and down the country. "},{"start":27.587,"text":"The rioters, some inspired by far-right groups, have attacked police officers and besieged mosques, and on the weekend one mob even stormed a hotel housing asylum seekers. "},{"start":37.454,"text":"By Sunday night, the tally of arrests had climbed to 420. "}],[{"start":42.32,"text":"The riots are a reminder that festering resentment, even if held by a minority, can quickly metastasise and spill over into violence. "},{"start":49.812,"text":"This episode was triggered by the horrific murder of three young girls in the northwestern town of Southport on July 29. "},{"start":56.179,"text":"Falsehoods swirled on social media that the assailant was a Muslim asylum seeker, which tapped into latent anti-immigrant and anti-Islamic prejudices. "},{"start":64.259,"text":"The suspect was neither a migrant, nor Muslim. "},{"start":67.289,"text":"But the facts were irrelevant to the rioters, many of whom were seeking to enact their own mob justice or simply exploit the chaos in order to loot. "}],[{"start":75.83,"text":"Home secretary Yvette Cooper described the perpetrators as a “thuggish minority”. "},{"start":80.347,"text":"Indeed, many of the riots were met by counter-protesters, and communities of all faiths and backgrounds have come together to help clean up their streets. "},{"start":87.989,"text":"The yobbish behaviour comes from a fringe. "},{"start":90.369,"text":"Britons hold one of the most positive attitudes towards immigration in Europe, according to recent surveys. "},{"start":95.949,"text":"The country is also more adept at integrating immigrants into society than other advanced nations, despite what the far-right may think. "}],[{"start":103.75,"text":"Yet, the riots do represent a major test of Starmer’s government. "},{"start":107.904,"text":"First, law and order must be quickly restored. "},{"start":110.972,"text":"That means boosting the police presence, and swift justice for the culprits. "},{"start":115.127,"text":"After a Cobra emergency response meeting on Monday, the prime minister said the police would have access to a “standing army of specialist officers” and that the legal system would be ramped up. "}],[{"start":125.48,"text":"But the riots are also a reminder that Britain’s criminal justice system needs long-term investment; police officers are thinly spread, courts are already backlogged and prisons are near capacity. "},{"start":135.559,"text":"The system needs to be ready for flare-ups like this and must act as a credible deterrent. "}],[{"start":140.92000000000002,"text":"Second, officials need to work with social media companies to help prevent the spread of falsehoods and calls to violence online. "},{"start":147.812,"text":"Rumours about the Southport attacker had spread on X, before his true identity was revealed. "},{"start":152.92900000000003,"text":"Infographics promoting the protests were also shared on TikTok and messaging app Telegram. "},{"start":157.822,"text":"Platforms need to be much more effective at identifying and taking down malicious content. "}],[{"start":163.51000000000002,"text":"Finally, the government needs to take the heat out of the country’s immigration debate. "},{"start":168.014,"text":"Anti-foreigner sentiment has been whipped up recently, including by some in the previous Conservative administration. "},{"start":173.84400000000002,"text":"On July 27, the largest far-right gathering in London in years took place, with as many as 30,000 attendees. "},{"start":180.87400000000002,"text":"The election also saw Nigel Farage, and his rightwing populist party Reform UK, gain a handful of seats. "}],[{"start":188.41000000000003,"text":"Convincing individuals that immigration is good for the country as a whole, however, requires more than citing a few pieces of economic data. "},{"start":196.18900000000002,"text":"Deprived areas need economic opportunities and better access to public services. "},{"start":200.73200000000003,"text":"Many of the riots took place in northern cities, including Liverpool, Manchester, Hull and Stoke, that have been left behind by prosperity in Britain’s south-east. "},{"start":210.24900000000002,"text":"Without widespread growth, narratives that scapegoat foreigners will continue to find fertile ground. "}],[{"start":216.28000000000003,"text":"Once the violence is contained and the culprits are sanctioned, efforts to tackle the root causes that feed a fear of immigration — as well as the channels that amplify it — must be stepped up. "}],[{"start":225.66000000000003,"text":""}]],"url":"https://creatives.ftacademy.cn/album/166344-1722916760.mp3"}