They wanted people to understand that they love their country and the only way they could convince people was by destroying buildings and throwing petrol bombs. They feel misunderstood.
Far-right thugs and their sympathisers are upset that some of their compatriots have been imprisoned and others are facing trial. More than 1,000 people have been arrested, with some 480 charged and at least 99 sentences handed down so far. They thought they were leading a popular revolt. Turns out that they misjudged how excited people would be about having their communities trashed.
“It just ain’t right”, complained Wayne Kerr, “Why are they arresting us? We just burnt down a few buildings to make sure people knew about the damage that immigrants are doing to the country”. When asked about looting Greggs, “Rioting can make you hungry and we didn’t have any cash on us”.