Children joined far-right riots as they ‘looked fun’ - not because of racism, children’s commissioner claims
Children joined far-right riots as they ‘looked fun’ - not because of racism, children’s commissioner claims
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Children got involved in last summer’s riots out of curiosity, anger at the police, or desire to steal, according to the new report - but one Labour MP has called it ‘far off the mark’. 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.
![[Children’s Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza concluded that while online misinformation and racism ‘all played a role, they did not drive the children’s actions’]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/11/18/00/a56f9fca59311f298281aa32fe36d9c7Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzMxNzczMzk1-2.73716878.jpg)
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”.
![[Protesters pictured outside of the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, which was being used as an asylum hotel, on August 4, 2024 in Rotherham.]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/27/14/GettyImages-2164805179.jpg)
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. “Others described a deep distrust of the police and the opportunity to retaliate against a previous interaction.
