Pollster and political commentator Matt Goodwin has criticised the Government’s response to the riots, saying it feels heavy-handed towards one side of the argument.
He joined Michelle Dewberry to discuss the unrest in Britain sparked by the killing of three young girls who were attending a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.
Speaking on GB News, he said the response from the Labour government looks “one-sided” after Keir Starmer blasted the violence on the streets of Britain.
“I think the first thing to say is everybody in this country I hope would condemn the violence and disorder”, he said.
Matt Goodwin has hit out at the 'one-sided' response
GB NEWS / PA
“If you’re idiotic enough to be destroying your own local community then you deserve to feel the full force of the law. At the same time, it’s true that Keir Starmer and Labour have managed this badly.
“I would like to see Starmer condemn violence on all sides and talk less about far-right thuggery and more on criminality. The response looks one-sided.
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“I would like to see us move on to have a more mature conversation on what is causing the unrest. I think what is happening for a lot of people is protest. They are protesting illegal migration, the collapse of our border and being lied to.
“I think they are protesting about an elite class in this country that doesn’t seem to want to keep them safe in their own country. That is where this tragedy has become a lightning rod for that sentiment.”
Ex-Jeremy Corbyn adviser James Schneider waded in on the discussion to hit out at the protests, but agreed with Goodwin that the Government has been “slow” in its response.
“These are organised, political and racist”, he said.
Marchers in SunderlandPA“If people are being dragged out of their car because of the colour of their skin, that’s racist, and this is the character of these riots.
“It seems that the police in Southport were totally overwhelmed and things should have moved faster given these are not spontaneous uprisings. These are organised and are announced protests. We need policing to catch up.”
Goodwin continued by claiming the issues are reflective of a society that is struggling to contend with multiculturalism.
“I think Starmer and Yvette Cooper have been outflanked by events and people perceive the response to be one-sided”, he said.
James Schneider waded in to brand the protesters 'racist'
GB NEWS
“There is an element of far-right thuggery, for sure. But I have also seen gangs storming around streets with weapons attacking people because of their race, because they are white. I think instances of ethnic conflict are clearly playing out on Britain’s streets.
“We are seeing how our model of multiculturalism isn’t working. You can’t look at Britain now and say ‘this model of multiculturalism is working’.”
Starmer vowed to “ramp up criminal justice” after an emergency Cobra meeting was called in the wake of a sixth day of disorder which saw rioters storm hotels housing asylum seekers.
Police clashed with crowds one week on from the Southport stabbings as the escalating violence continued over the weekend across the country.
So far, there have been 378 arrests since the violence broke out last week, with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) warning the total was expected to rise each day.
Several suspects faced charges in court on Monday, as ministers and police chiefs descended on Westminster for the meeting setting out the response for the coming days in a bid to clamp down on further unrest.