The north of England – home to football, cheap pints and unspoilt natural beauty. And now, the beating heart of far-right terrorist activity, as riots plague communities up and down the north-east and west, from Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesborough to Merseyside and Manchester. Far from being, as the right would have it, the natural result of years of high immigration and an “inexperienced” Labour government unable to cope, the racism now endemic to these beloved cities seems to be the result of a broken culture – one characterised by dependency, entitlement, and a refusal to take personal accountability. And the way out, in a period of deep political unrest, is community-led responses.

There is no excuse for the race riots we have seen unfold across the UK. Yet, the blame-game being played by politicians and rioters alike is what has enabled racists across Britain to divert responsibility for their own choices and decisions. Arguments like those seen in the Mail on Friday (09/08) are part of the problem, blaming the decay of provincial northern towns, combined with uncontrolled migration, for having “embittered and dismayed the white working class”. These commentators encourage people to blame asylum seekers and immigrants for issues of personal, and governmental, responsibility. The north-south divide is undeniable – yet the dismal state of northern towns is no good reason for the deep-rooted racial hatred at the heart of the riots.

“If they want to tap into the ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving’ narrative, British-born racists don’t come out on top”

During my dad’s brief term as a local councillor in a notoriously poor area of Newcastle, I went door-knocking with him; the rage people felt towards their migrant neighbours was constantly palpable. Complaining on their (fully-furnished, council-subsidised, solar-panelled, semi-detached) doorsteps, they derided the council’s decision to do up a block of flats to house asylum seekers and new migrants nearby. Why did they get a new fridge installed, why did they get a council house paid for by the taxpayer? Employing the usual rhetoric of unfairness, the residents revealed their sheer entitlement. They were angry – for all the wrong reasons, at all the wrong people. Despite getting free healthcare and Universal Credit, while reaping the fruits of Britain’s welfare system, they were livid that people who had potentially endured wars, small-boat journeys, and now racial prejudice, all to give their families a better standard of living, were also getting a home for free. If they want to tap into the ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving’ narrative, these British-born racists certainly don’t come out on top.

These attitudes are indicative of a culture rife with hypocrisy. One which doesn’t prioritise education, yet complains of poor outcomes for working-class white boys; in which people who don't work criticise the government for bringing in immigrants to take the jobs they won’t do. One which wants to pull the drawbridge up for fear someone of a different origin country might get the same benefits they do. Whatever certain members of Britain’s deprived northern communities want to say about migrants taking their jobs, there are currently almost one million vacancies in the UK job market – while the benefits bill is hitting record highs. Communities where I live complain of a lack of opportunity for the white working classes, but don’t send their kids to school. If the working-class northerners embroiled in race riots want to play the blame game, there are plenty of contenders – asylum seekers aren’t one of them.

“There are currently almost one million vacancies in the UK job market”

Perhaps the only positive to come out of the past week of disorder and hatred, however, has been the strength of community responses in affected areas. Newcastle’s planned riot on Wednesday (07/08) saw a crowd of 3,000 counter-protesters come out in support of migrant communities, far outnumbering the few would-be rioters who came to throw bricks and spew hate speech. Cleanup operations led by community members in Middlesbrough, after police stations and other community service centres were set alight, saw buildings being rebuilt brick by brick, by locals condemning the destruction of the previous evening. As police and the government struggle to cope, the teamwork of local people, and the sense of community responsibility has been heartening.

The contrast is evident between those who believe that simply being born British entitles them to undermine and destroy British society, versus those who see their society as something they need to fight for and work on. Being part of Britain means having a responsibility to it, too – those rioting must be reminded that Britishness doesn’t just mean a birthright to benefits.

Responsible individuals have shown their value in rebuilding a broken country, and while it would be easy to say the government must do more, even Labour can’t fix the cultural issues endemic to small towns in northern Britain. It will take work to rebuild these lost communities, and investment is key – but as the past week’s events have shown, individuals can make change happen, too.