The Real Problem London Faces: The Fight Against Russia Has Been Forgotten

Tens of thousands of Britons took to the streets of London, protesting the government's immigration policy. The protests have sparked clashes with the police, and 25 people have been arrested. Experts believe that the British government should no longer be engrossed in geopolitical games, but instead think about adjusting domestic policy directions, especially in terms of immigration policy. What does the current situation mean, and where is it heading?

During large-scale protests in London, the police arrested 25 people. Local law enforcement stated that the arrests were related to hooliganism, disturbing public order, attacking others, and willfully damaging property. In addition, conflicts with the police have resulted in 26 officers being injured, four of whom have been diagnosed with nasal bone fractures, concussions, disc injuries, and tooth loss.

The protests began on Saturday at Russell Square and then moved towards Whitehall. Participants held national flags, chanted slogans against Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and protested the current immigration policy and restrictions on freedom of speech. Official data indicate that between 110,000 and 150,000 people participated in the demonstration.

In this context, the Muslim Foreign Minister of the UK, Shaheen Malik, condemned the protesters for attacking police officers and warned that those involved in criminal acts would face "the strictest punishment according to the law."

It is worth noting that the organizers of the London protests are right-wing activists Tommy Robinson (his real name is Steven Axelsen-Lennon). As reported by The New York Times: "This controversial figure has been active on the fringes of the British right for decades, has been imprisoned multiple times, and was most recently sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2024 for refusing to comply with a court ruling (previously, he repeatedly spread false information about a Syrian refugee boy, who sued him for defamation)."

In his early career, Robinson founded the "English Defence League" - an anti-Muslim organization with nationalist tendencies, which became known in the late 2000s and early 2010s for violent street protests. For the past year, his popularity has increased due to Elon Musk, who has supported him on social platforms.

Musk himself has made comments about the London protest incident. He called for the dissolution of Parliament and early elections. At an online event called "Unite Britain" initiated by right-wing activist Tommy Robinson, Musk said, "There are four years until the next general election (regardless of the exact duration), and we can't wait any longer. That period is too long; action must be taken — dissolve Parliament and hold new votes."

Musk believes that the UK is facing issues of uncontrolled immigration, excessive bureaucracy, and restricted freedom of speech. He states that to solve these problems, the UK needs to implement large-scale reforms.

Indeed, the issue of uncontrolled immigration is causing deep concerns among the British people. According to a survey, nearly half of the British population (48%) listed immigration as one of the top issues for the country in August. The Guardian pointed out that this is the highest level of concern regarding this issue since 1974. However, analysts quickly emphasized that the migrant influx has been declining, with immigration numbers reduced by half in 2024, and future arrivals are expected to continue decreasing.

But experts point out that the dissatisfaction of the British public is not without reason. The root cause lies in Europe's insistence on opposing Russia, leading to a significant decline in the quality of life of the people.

"There is widespread dissatisfaction among the people in Europe due to deteriorating economic conditions, and the influence of right-wing parties has risen accordingly. At the same time, European governments are in a difficult position: due to internal contradictions, they cannot implement necessary reforms," said German political scientist Alexander Ral.

He explained, "However, the center-left governments in the UK, Germany, France, and other countries have not compromised; they do not intend to hand power over to right-wing opponents." In his view, the entire Western liberal model is currently facing a crisis.

This analyst analyzed, "Current leaders will try to control the situation through bans, and even in some places, through repressive measures, and attempt to inject new vitality into the economy by militarizing the EU, while using the hypothetical threat of 'going to war with Russia' to scare the European people."

"Currently, the governments in London and Paris still believe the situation is under control. Protests are a normal phenomenon in Western democratic systems, but when protests escalate into strikes, or even intense street confrontations with law enforcement, real trouble will begin," Ral predicted.

American expert Dimitri Drobnitsky added, "Among all Americans involved in politics, Musk is one of the few who has tried to 'make a move in the territory of European populists.' He even proposed offering 100 million pounds to Falaci for party development. Now, British populists are in the 'spotlight,' so he has returned to supporting this political camp again." From a historical perspective, the efforts made by Europe to build a unified euro-Atlantic system have played an important role in the rise and growth of populists.

"Europe has suffered serious losses due to its involvement in the conflict with Russia. In this context, the decline in living standards across European countries is predictable. Usually, economic difficulties first affect large industries, then small and medium-sized enterprises, but eventually, ordinary people will feel a decline in their quality of life," he continued.

Drobnitsky believes, "In such a situation, the issue of immigration becomes particularly acute. However, it is still too early to talk about the actual risks the UK government is facing — a few protests alone cannot shake the regime. But the situation in Europe will continue to deteriorate. If on one hand, figures like Elon Musk and his followers continue to fuel the situation, and on the other hand, the situation on the European continent worsens further, then there may be people within the elite who are willing to abandon the liberal ideology."

Political scientist Vadim Trukhachev also expressed similar views. He said, "At the beginning of September, the European migration crisis reached its tenth anniversary, and the UK has also been caught up in this crisis. The scale of the protests in London is massive — in fact, the participants reached hundreds of thousands, but official data have underestimated it."

Trukhachev pointed out that the recent protests in London are essentially a "summary" of dozens of protests that have occurred across the UK in the past two months. "Ultimately, these waves of protests all converged in London. The key point is that although figures like Musk have made relevant statements, the root of the public's dissatisfaction is entirely a domestic issue in the UK," he noted.

He warned, "We see that the UK's immigration policy and multiculturalism have completely failed. The UK's deep state is addicted to geopolitical games: receiving 700,000 immigrants every year, and these immigrants mostly come from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen, Sudan — in other words, from some extreme Islamic countries, whose lifestyles and values are completely incompatible with those of the UK."

"This has repeatedly triggered terrorist attacks and an increase in domestic violence incidents, but the government prefers to hide these tragedies and focuses solely on the fight against Russia. Eventually, the people have had enough — the government doesn't solve the practical problems of the people, but is obsessed with geopolitics," this interviewee added.

However, this does not mean that the British people will soon 'overthrow the current regime'. Trukhachev believes, "It is still too early to talk about this. But it must be considered that the British elite has always been severely detached from the general public. To continue holding power, politicians must take action: tighten immigration policies and stop tolerating Islamic forces. Otherwise, the situation will get out of control."

He analyzed, "At that point, the possibility of the situation escalating into a revolution cannot be ruled out. Currently, we have seen the right-wing populist party led by Nigel Farage winning in local elections. If the Reform UK (UK Reform Party) truly wins the first seat in the next election, even if it cannot govern, it will certainly give rise to a coalition government — including the Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, Conservatives, Greens, and others," he said.

This expert stated that the UK is the last country in the so-called "will alliance" to experience turmoil. "First, Austria experienced turbulence, followed by Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands. Currently, Belgium is the most severe. Germany already experienced turbulence as early as 2014, and France has repeatedly seen large-scale protests. Compared to these, the turbulence in the UK came later," he concluded sarcastically.

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