by Felix Pope, UnHerd
Will anti-migrant protests erupt here?
Not much happens in Nuneaton. The Warwickshire town, located close to the traditional centre of England, is a sleepy sort of place. Since the mines around it were closed, the area’s economy has been on a slow decline. On Sunday afternoon, its streets were mostly deserted.
Now, however, the town may become the latest flashpoint in the anti-migrant protests sweeping Britain. Last week, Ahmad Mulakhil, an Afghan asylum seeker, was charged with raping a 12-year-old girl on one of its suburban roads. Mohammad Kabir, also an Afghan asylum seeker, has been charged with aiding and abetting rape, strangulation and kidnap. Mulakhil is reported to have entered Britain by crossing the Channel.
According to sources who spoke to the Mail on Sunday, local authorities fear that violent disorder might follow. Warwickshire Police, they claim, advised local councillors and officials not to reveal that the rape suspects were asylum seekers for fear of “inflaming community tensions”. “They’re hushing it up because they don’t want an Epping situation on their hands,” one local is reported to have said. A protest has already been planned for next Saturday.
Heightening the stakes is the fact that Nuneaton’s asylum seekers — including Mulakhil and Kabir until their arrests — are not housed in hotels but HMOs in residential areas. While the former have provided a focal point for demonstrations, they are also easily defended by lines of riot police. When spread out in residential streets, it is harder for the state to control or to protect small boat migrants.
Read also: The Nuneaton child rape cover-up by Tom Slater, spiked