Children joined far-right riots as they ‘looked fun’ - not because of racism, children’s commissioner claims

Young people took part in the summer riots as they “looked fun” - not because they held anti-migrant or racist views, the children’s commissioner has claimed.

A new report from the independent commissioner, published on Tuesday, concludes that the over-100 children who were arrested in the riots got involved because “they were curious to see what was happening, thought it looked fun, felt animosity towards the police, or wanted free goods”.

The unrest started after misinformation spread online following the Axel Rudakubana’s murder of three children at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport on 30 July. Social media posts wrongly alleged the attacker was a 17-year-old asylum seeker.

But children’s commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza, who interviewed 14 children charged over the riots, found they had joined “to be nosey” or because they wanted to attack the police.

She concluded that while online misinformation and racism “all played a role, they did not drive the children’s actions”.

“Many children described making a split-second decision, their involvement being largely spontaneous and unconsidered, driven by curiosity or the thrill of the moment to see what was going on in their community,” she said.

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“Others described a deep distrust of the police and the opportunity to retaliate against a previous interaction.

“What these conversations do not support is the prevailing narrative that emerged from the riots which was subsequently accepted: that online misinformation, racism or other right-wing influences were to blame for why young people were enticed to join in the aggression.”

According to the analysis, 147 children were arrested over the summer riots, with 84 charged. The vast majority were boys aged 14-to-17-years old. Eight percent of the children were aged 10-13.

The commissioner said that many of the children had never been in trouble with the law before, and some had been encouraged by adults to throw things at the police.

But responding to the report, one Labour MP told The Independent that it appeared “far off the mark” and that structural racism should not be discounted as a factor in the riots.

They said: “While the causes of the riots are undoubtedly complex, social media was not the sole cause but acted as a force multiplier for deeper issues such as inequality, political neglect, and mistrust in institutions.

“Ignoring the mainstreaming of racism in media and politics, however, feels like political posturing aimed at reinforcing far-right narratives. The causes may be complex, but they are not beyond analysis—and this report seems far off the mark.”

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Sabby Dhalu, from Stand Up to Racism, said: “We certainly agree that deep distrust of the police and lack of opportunity were drivers in the children’s motivation to get involved in the racist riots. However, it is possible that the findings underestimate the impact of racism and the role of far-right groups on social media on motivating the children involved.

“Many children may have felt ashamed to admit racist views held by themselves or their family.”

Dame Rachel said that the report “does not excuse criminality”, adding that a couple of the children she spoke to said they would commit the crimes again and try harder not to get caught.

However, some expressed remorse for their actions. One child, who was charged, said: “It was fun at the time, but the guilt afterwards was so bad. You’re on the bus driving pas windows that you’ve smashed.”

In interviews, the children described stumbling across the riots on their way home, or on a bike ride with friends. One said: “We’re in such a deprived area... they [young men] don’t even know what politics means. They were just there to have fun.”

Another child told researchers that they went to the riot “to be nosey”, adding: “It seemed like a big thing happening my local area”.

Another said they were drawn in by the fact that “everyone’s on a team”, and one criticised the police for their lack of preparedness, saying: “Why didn’t they prepare? They had no dogs, no horses, nothing for four hours”.

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Another said adults should “have a bit more respect for other races because adults understand the world a bit more.”

Many children had previously struggled with education, and some had been missing out on teaching for a number of years, the report found.

The commissioner also highlighted that many of the children they spoke to had been diagnosed with ADHD.

But Henry Shelford, chief executive of ADHD UK, said the number of children that the commissioner had spoken to was too small “to infer much about the involvement of ADHD”.

But added: “The report’s finding that many of the children had struggled in mainstream schooling is unsurprising and in that group, kids with ADHD are clearly over-represented.”

Children charged in connection with the widespread disorder last summer included a 12-year-old boy who was caught on CCTV throwing an object at police officers and a 13-year-old girl who kicked the door of an asylum hotel.

A government spokesperson said: “The senseless violence we saw on our streets after the tragic loss of Bebe, Elsie and Alice brought shame to our nation, and the mobilisation of our police and entire criminal justice system to bring perpetrators of all ages to justice was vital in restoring order. There is no justification for the violence which they endured last year.”