UK race riots one year later: confronting racism and demanding change

It has now been a year since the 2024 race riots erupted across the UK, a powerful and painful reminder of the racial injustice that continues to shape our society.  

This year also marks five years since the murder of George Floyd, a moment that sparked a global reckoning with the ever-present reality of racism and urgent calls for change. 

We must ask ourselves: what has really shifted in the past 12 months? Have institutions moved beyond statements into sustained action? Have we truly listened to communities who live at the intersection of racism, marginalisation, and neglect?  

These are not rhetorical questions, they demand honest reflection and accountability. Remembrance without transformation risks repeating the same cycles that brought us here in the first place. 

What happened 12 months ago? 

The 2024 riots across the UK were sparked by a violent incident that, amid misinformation and heightened social tensions, became racially charged and quickly escalated. Fuelled by deep-rooted Islamophobia, anti-Blackness, racism, and longstanding inequities, what began as a flashpoint also exposed systemic injustice and forced long-overdue conversations about race, power, and belonging in the UK.  

Recent unrest across the four corners of the UK shows us that these are not isolated incidents, but are part of a deeper, nationwide crisis rooted in racism and inequity, shaped by the ways racism intersects with long-standing political and social divisions. These incidents are reminders of the racism embedded in our society, and are reminders of why sustained, collective action against racism remains both urgent and necessary. 

Have things really changed? 

Across the UK, we’ve seen how online misinformation is deliberately weaponised. It’s clear that the use of social media information surrounding the nationality and asylum status of individuals, can serve as a pretext for anti-immigrant hostility and far right sentiments to manifest. Online echo chambers foster divisive views, often overshadowing positive actions and messages of solidarity and unity. Misinformation from social media, unchecked, can exacerbate social issues such as deprivation and a breakdown of social cohesion.  

To help mitigate further unrest, politicians and tech platforms must work to promote a more responsible and anti-racist narrative and invest in youth, education, and local initiatives that build cross-community solidarity. This could mean tighter online regulations and coordinated strategies from the government to counter hate fuelled acts.  

The conditions that led to the UK 2024 riots, such as racial tension, social depravation and a breakdown in social cohesion, are still ever present today. These are not isolated events. They reflect a broader context of eroding civic space, rising authoritarianism, and shrinking trust in institutions, particularly among racialised and marginalised group. 

There’s a radical call to speak with honesty about acts that are indefensible and rooted in racial injustice. 

We’re living in a moment where misinformation is being weaponised to spread anti-immigration rhetoric, racism, and even fascism, and it’s having real consequences. Inaccurate reporting, including the false claims about the identity of an attacker, sparked unrest and deepened social divides.  

This should be a warning for us. As a sector committed to justice, solidarity and equity, we must speak honestly about the forces that enable racial injustice to flourish. This means moving beyond surface-level responses and addressing the systemic dynamics at play. It means holding ourselves accountable. It means critically examining where we get our information from, questioning dominant narratives, and choosing truth over convenience. 

Embracing anti-racism approaches opens the door to a world of expertise that had previously been excluded. – Ben Simms, CEO of Global Health Partnerships (formerly THET)

There is still much work to do 

Despite some signs of progress, the path to justice is neither easy nor linear. Many staff of colour have continued to report experiences of microaggressions and exclusion, not as isolated incidents, but as part of a pattern that reflects deeper structural racism.  

As Mary Ann Clements Co-CEO from ADD International reflected on the complexities of embedding equity within traditional systems, as a leader and its impact on staff: 

It’s our day-to-day behaviours and practices that change the experience of staff and partners who experience racism in our work. 

Bond has been working with a group of CEOs who are committed to building and maintaining anti-racist leadership in their organisations. Through this work we have published three examples of change from three CEOs. Who are striving to shift their cultures.  You can read these testimonials here.

These truthful examples reveal the tensions many organisations face, especially when trying to centre the voices, experiences and expertise of staff who are driving change from within. 

It is all about shifting a culture and mindset within our organisations. It is about a change of heart- not just a change of mechanisms and processes. – Christine Allen, CEO at CAFOD

A call to action

Racial justice doesn’t follow a neat timeline. It requires sustained, often uncomfortable work, long after the headlines fade and public attention moves on.  

This moment is not one to mark and forget. It’s a call to recommit to anti-racist values, to truth-telling and to sustained action. Not just in response to crisis, but as part of how we show up every single day, in our institutions, relationships, and decisions.  

We cannot afford to forget the lessons from last year. The time for silence has long passed.  

The work must continue, deliberately and unapologetically and with unrelenting commitment to justice and solidarity.