A hotel full of asylum seekersPeople who have left their countries due to danger and are seeking refuge elsewhere. burned. Roving gangs dragging people of colour out of their cars. Masked people, many who look like children, smashing the windows of shops before running in to steal. Welcome to Britain in 2024.

England has now seen several nights of violence in towns and cities across England. Some of those at the riots belong to the far-rightA range of ideologies that emphasise social order, racial purity and the elimination of opponents., and have racistBelieving that a person's skin colour makes them better than others. and anti-immigrationThe permanent movement of people into a country. views.

The violence began last week, after three girls were killed in an attack at a children's dance class in SouthportA seaside town on the northwest coast of England. . Fake news spread quickly on social media, including the claim that the attacker was an asylum seeker. We now know this is not true.

Today, no-one is sure how to talk about the violence on the streets. Some say the only word is "terrorism".

Today, when we hear the word "terrorism", it makes us think of people with extremeVery great, or beyond what is expected. religious or political ideas who attack and kill to spread fear.

One example is the IRAThe Irish Republican Army, or IRA, was an unofficial military organization made up of people who wanted an end to British rule in Northern Ireland., who wanted Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to be one country.

Meanwhile, IslamistAn advocate of Islamic fundamentalism. Often used in the West to describe those who believe in imposing Sharia (Islamic law) on societies. terrorists who killed ordinary people in several attacks over the last 20 years wanted to force the UK to pull British soldiers out of the Middle EastThe lands around the east of the Mediterranean Sea and Arabia. .

These riots, say some, are the same thing: terrorising the people to put pressure on politicians to change immigration laws.

They argue it is unfair that many only use the word "terrorist" to describe Muslims, and we should be ready to use it for White extremists as well.

But others claim the far-right attacks are more similar to pogromsOrganised massacres of a particular ethnic groups, such as those of Jewish people in Russia and Eastern Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries., or riots that target specific ethnic minoritiesGroups within a community with different cultural or national traditions to the majority of the population. .

In the past, ProtestantsA group of Christians. Protestants separated from the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th Century. This took place at first in Germany. and CatholicsFollowers of the Catholic church, a Christian denomination with over a billion followers worldwide, led by the Pope. fought in the UK. Now, there are more ethnic groups in the country. As Britain becomes more diverse, some say, we should expect this kind of unrest to become more common.

Is this terrorism?

Yes! The far-right are causing fear to ordinary people, with the aim of forcing UK leaders to stop or lower immigration. This is terrorism.

No! This is something different - conflictA state of disagreement when there is a difference of interests, values or goals. between different ethnic groups. It has always been a part of life in the UK, but the ethnic groups involved have changed.

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