Today alone (Wednesday 7 August) there are reports of 30 locations where demonstrations by the far right are expected to take place.
What caused the riots?
It comes after false claims spread on social media that the suspect who committed the Southport murders at the end of last month was a Muslim asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK in a small boat. It was before his identity was confirmed.
Axel Rudakubana, 17, who was born in Cardiff and had been living in Banks, a village in Lancashire a few miles north of Southport, has been charged with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder.
Guided by social media, members of far right groups subsequently gathered in towns and cities across the country, with some inciting anti-immigration and Islamophobic hatred. This led to counter protests with clashes between opposing groups.
Rioters first descended in Southport after the tragedy before disturbances spread to London, Manchester, Hartlepool, Aldershot, and on the weekend – Hull, Liverpool, Blackpool, Leeds, Nottingham and Belfast in Northern Ireland. Riots are expected to continue this week, spreading to some of the home counties.
Nurseries taking precautions
One Essex nursery, which operates a holiday club for school-aged children, sent a message to parents on Monday (5 August) to say in ‘light of the recent event in Southport, riots across the country and information received, we have made the decision to cancel all external trips this week’.
Similarly, a nursery in East London asked parents to collect their children early so staff can go home and avoid any trouble. The setting also cancelled any outings and said if riots happen earlier than anticipated, they will go into ‘lockdown’ and follow police advice.
The provider said they are also preparing for the ‘aftermath’, providing emotional support for everyone and preparing for what state the area will be left in.
David Wright, ambassador for Paint Pots Nurseries in Southampton and winner of the Nursery World Lifetime Achievement Award 2022, expressed his shock at the scale of the riots.
Writing on X, he said, ‘Seeing nurseries making arrangements to close early today as a precaution due to the planned "protest" demonstrations across the country. Whoever thought it would come to this?’
Rachel Buckler, a trainer and consultant specialising in safeguarding, offered advice to settings impacted by the violent disturbances.
Posting on Facebook, she wrote, ‘Having managed nurseries and children’s centres during the riots in 2011, an important aspect of the strategy involved working with our local authority emergency planning team.
‘I’m aware of quite a number of settings which have been told to expect disruption. If you are one of those settings please contact your local authority emergency planning team and ask for a named individual with whom you can liaise with as things develop. It’s their responsibility to respond to intelligence from the police and the public (that includes early years settings) to create a response and collective strategy that enables everyone to be safe.’
The National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) stressed how important it is that early years providers keep policies and procedures around what to do in an emergency up-to-date and that staff and families are aware of what they are doing to ‘assess risks and keep children and employees safe.’
Jonathan Broadbery, director of policy and communications, commented, ‘Many communities have seen shocking incidents of public violence in the recent days. As nurseries are often at the heart of a community this can be worrying for settings and families. We have seen reports of nurseries having to implement emergency plans and lockdown procedures as a precautionary measure.
‘The safety and well-being of children and staff is the number one priority of all early years settings. Those nurseries in communities who feel they may be targeted may want to contact their local authority for any information or advice that can be shared.
‘Nurseries and other providers will have policies and procedures in place around what to do in an emergency situation. It is important that these are kept up to date and staff and families are aware of the work settings are doing to assess risks and keep children and staff safe.’
In a statement, the National Education Union’s (NEU) general secretary Daniel Kebede said the ‘violence must provide a watershed moment for change.’
He explained, ‘Our members, who believe in the power of education, will take the lead in challenging racism, Islamophobia, and antisemitism and in challenging harmful prejudices and stereotyping about migrant families.
‘We value the many positive aspects that migration and immigrants bring to our Union, our movement and our country as well as the benefits for all of us in living in a society that is welcoming and inclusive.’
He went on to say, ‘We recognise that many years of irresponsible rhetoric by politicians and in sections of the British media have created a climate that threatens the social cohesion of this country and our progress towards a more equal society.
‘This violence must provide a watershed moment for change.
‘We urge all districts and branches to contact local mosques, refugee centres and solidarity groups to offer the union's solidarity and support.
‘Our children have the right to grow up without fear. We must stand together across our movement and our communities to stand up for human rights, social justice and using education to counter racism.’
- Are you an early years provider that has had to close early or take other precautions because of the violent riots? If so email: news.nw@markallengroup.com
