Political nicknames are nothing new, even if the world leader in question is.
“Crooked Hillary”, “Sleepy Joe”, and “Rocketman” Kim Jong-Un are all familiar to Americans by now, largely thanks to personality overtaking policy in U.S. politics.
It’s no different across the pond in the U.K., where new Prime Minister Keir Starmer is coming under heavy criticism for his handling of the ongoing riots.
A large riot took place in Leeds on Friday, July 18, in a predominantly migrant area called Harehills. Later that month, the stabbing of three children in Southport prompted rioting across the country, with left and right-wing extremists facing off in violent clashes for more than a week.
The large condemnation of right-wing protesters, in spite of what many see as little-to-no criticism of the far left, has only boiled the existing frustrations. Conflicting coverage between the media and social network sites as to who is to blame has also not eased tension.
With no end to the rioting in sight, Prime Minister Starmer has promised a crackdown on rioters with “standing armies” of police officers and 24-hour turnarounds in the courts. His focus, however, on right-wing rioters has leant itself to the nickname “two-tier Keir.”
When it was Brits rioting over the death of George Floyd, a man who didn’t even live on the same continent as them, Starmer said “Like you, I was shocked and angered at the killing of George Floyd, and the response of President Trump and the US authorities to the peaceful protesters, to people rightly demanding justice, has been an affront to humanity. This week has shined a spotlight on the racism, discrimination and the injustice experienced by those from black and minority ethnic communities in the US, the UK, and across the world. Martin Luther King said ‘injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Yet when it was Brits protesting the violent consequences of mass migration, he sung a completely different tune, stating; “I utterly condemn the far-right thuggery we’ve seen this weekend. Be in no doubt, those that have participated in this violence will face the full force of the law. The police will be making arrests. Individuals will be held on remand, charges will follow, and convictions will follow. I guarantee you will regret taking part in this disorder, whether directly, or those whipping up this action online and then running away themselves. This is not a protest, it is organized, violent thuggery, and it has no place on our streets or online.
You can watch the side by side of his comments below:
The scale of the riots has seen commenters in the U.S. respond to the events, including X CEO Elon Musk.
There have also been attacks on journalists…
…while many have wondered why illegal immigration has not seen a similar policing response.
Quite simply, the population has had enough…
…and this post sums it up perfectly.
I am 74 years old and have seen a lot of stuff. Have never seen this type of civic nonsense in the past. We seemed to have totally lost our bearings and understanding of what constitutes civilization. As the USA democrats say, “Weird.”