Mark Murphy: Violence not the answer to immigration concerns

Many of our streets have descended into lawlessness and at times the police have been struggling to cope.

There is absolutely no excuse for the kind of behaviour we’ve seen, it’s like going back to the 1970s and 1980s when the National Front tried to divide us on the issue of race.

Well, let me tell those who rioted, the country saw off the National Front then and it’ll do the same to you.

Violence is never acceptable, says Mark
Whatever our viewpoint on things, justified or not, we cannot descend into mob rule and violence.

We have laws in this country, and they need to be obeyed.

I suspect many had no idea what they were rioting about and just saw it as an opportunity to smash things up and do some looting.

Well, now they’re getting their comeuppance with their guilty faces plastered all over the front pages of newspapers, on TV and online.

Not only does justice need to be done it must be seen to be done.

Hopefully those contemplating rioting will think twice now after seeing the courts act so quickly and toughly.

It’s only a few weeks ago the Labour party was voted into power with a massive majority.

They can’t fix things overnight.

I think everyone agrees we need to have better control of immigration both legally and illegally but rioting is not the answer.

As I said last week, we need migrants to come and work in the NHS, social care and hospitality sectors which are struggling for staff.

When the dust has settled, it is time for a proper rethink on immigration and also the way police handle the different protests.

The big thing that’s stirred all this up is misinformation spread online, especially on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Its owner, Elon Musk, has been doing his bit to stir things up too. He should really concentrate on making electric cars and spaceships. What we need are calm voices, not people who should know better than sharing misinformation and whipping up trouble.

Elon Musk should stick to spaceships, says Mark
Only yesterday I saw two Suffolk charities deciding enough is enough and closing down their X accounts.

I suspect more people and organisations will follow unless something can be done to clean it up.

It’s stirring up hatred and impacting on people’s mental health.

The thing is, if you click on say, riots, the algorithms keep sending you more of the stuff and you end up in an echo chamber with only one view of the world.

We need more balance in the information we receive.

The amount of people who tell me they get their news from social media is huge.

How do you know what someone has posted is true?

That’s why you need the much-maligned mainstream media to fact check stuff and make sure it's true before it’s published.

We shouldn’t despise the responsible media; we should look to it for the truth and not just believe what your Facebook friend, Dave down the road, says happened.

What we say online has consequences. You can’t just post what you like. The laws of defamation and libel apply just as much online as to off it.

I suspect some of those who’ve been posting things will be getting a surprise knock on the door from the Old Bill if they’ve overstepped the mark.

I can’t help but blame Donald Trump for a lot what’s going on over here. He sows the seeds of division in the US and it’s happening so much more now in the UK too.

People and some politicians here are using his playbook when they really should know better.

We’ve got to dial down the temperature before more innocent people get caught up in these riots and property gets damaged.

All communities must work together to make this a great country to live in and it’s been heartwarming to see peaceful counter protests taking place, along with communities joining together to clean up the mess caused by these thugs.

I pray for a peaceful weekend.