By Aysu Bicer
LONDON (AA) - In the wake of last week’s mass stabbing in a coastal English town, which was followed by misinformation blaming the Southport stabbing on a Muslim asylum seeker and unrest, the majority of Britons oppose the subsequent protests and violent riots that have taken place across the country, according to a new poll.
The YouGov survey highlights the public's attitudes towards the unrest, the broader peaceful protests, and the performance of the police and politicians in response to these events.
The survey found that 85% of Britons are against the violent riots that broke out at various protests, with only 7% expressing support for the disorder.
Opposition to the riots is consistent across different voter groups, with the notable exception of supporters of Reform UK, a right-wing anti-immigrant party led by Nigel Farage.
Even among this group, only a minority (21%) support the riots, while a significant majority (76%) oppose them.
Support among other political affiliations is even lower, with just 9% of Conservatives, 3% of supporters of the ruling Labour Party, and 1% of supporters of Liberal Democrats – Britain’s third-largest party – endorsing the violent actions.
While the broader protests, which have included elements of anti-immigration and anti-Islam sentiment, have garnered more support than the riots, they still lack majority backing.
Only one in three Britons (34%) support these protests, with over half (54%) opposed.
Reform UK voters again show the highest levels of support at 81%, in stark contrast to Labour and Liberal Democratic voters, with support at 18-19%. Conservatives are nearly split, with 43% supporting and 48% opposing the broader protests.