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How Not to Hand Populists a Weapon

The ugly right-wing riots that broke out across the United Kingdom over the past week have put Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a difficult position: He and his new Labour government must address the widespread concern about immigration that helped drive the unrest—not because of what the rioters have done and said, but in spite of it. The lawlessness on display in recent days doesn’t change the fact that the British government has been mishandling immigration for years. It allowed in record numbers of migrants entering legally and illegally, year after year, in the teeth of popular opposition, and then introduced flawed schemes, such as the aborted effort to fly them to Rwanda for processing. The number of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats—some of them drowning in the attempt—continues to rise and is a source of shame and anguish across the political spectrum. The ugly right-wing riots that broke out across the United Kingdom over the past week have put Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a difficult position: He and his new Labour government must address the widespread concern about immigration that helped drive the unrest—not because of what the rioters have done and said, but in spite of it. The lawlessness on display in recent days doesn’t change the fact that the British government has been mishandling immigration for years. It allowed in record numbers of migrants entering legally and illegally, year after year, in the teeth of popular opposition, and then introduced flawed schemes, such as the aborted effort to fly them to Rwanda for processing. The number of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats—some of them drowning in the attempt—continues to rise and is a source of shame and anguish across the political spectrum. The ugly right-wing riots that broke out across the United Kingdom over the past week have put Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a difficult position: He and his new Labour government must address the widespread concern about immigration that helped drive the unrest—not because of what the rioters have done and said, but in spite of it. The lawlessness on display in recent days doesn’t change the fact that the British government has been mishandling immigration for years. It allowed in record numbers of migrants entering legally and illegally, year after year, in the teeth of popular opposition, and then introduced flawed schemes, such as the aborted effort to fly them to Rwanda for processing. The number of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats—some of them drowning in the attempt—continues to rise and is a source of shame and anguish across the political spectrum.The ugly right-wing riots that broke out across the United Kingdom over the past week have put Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a difficult position: He and his new Labour government must address the widespread concern about immigration that helped drive the unrest—not because of what the rioters have done and said, but in spite of it. The lawlessness on display in recent days doesn’t change the fact that the British government has been mishandling immigration for years. It allowed in record numbers of migrants entering legally and illegally, year after year, in the teeth of popular opposition, and then introduced flawed schemes, such as the aborted effort to fly them to Rwanda for processing. The number of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats—some of them drowning in the attempt—continues to rise and is a source of shame and anguish across the political spectrum. The ugly right-wing riots that broke out across the United Kingdom over the past week have put Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a difficult position: He and his new Labour government must address the widespread concern about immigration that helped drive the unrest—not because of what the rioters have done and said, but in spite of it. The lawlessness on display in recent days doesn’t change the fact that the British government has been mishandling immigration for years. It allowed in record numbers of migrants entering legally and illegally, year after year, in the teeth of popular opposition, and then introduced flawed schemes, such as the aborted effort to fly them to Rwanda for processing. The number of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats—some of them drowning in the attempt—continues to rise and is a source of shame and anguish across the political spectrum.

A Protest That’s Drowning in Its Own Tears

There is a scale model of a Gaza tunnel in the middle of Tel Aviv. I saw it last month when I was in Israel on the nine-month anniversary of the October 7 attack. The public plaza in front of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, known since the fall as “Hostages Square,” has become a place of commiseration for Israelis and a site of spontaneous works of public art. A long dining table with dozens of chairs and place settings, one for each of the hostages, takes up the center of the square. When I was there, the whole display, the plates and cups, were covered in gray dust, moldering. A giant red sculpture of an anatomical heart, the size of a car engine, was draped in chains. And everywhere were the names and photos of the kidnapped. One corner was dedicated to posters with the faces of some of the young women who were taken—Daniela, Agam, Romi. The age of one captive who had been 19 on October 7 was crossed out, and a 20 was scrawled in Sharpie. hairs and place settings, one for each of the hostages, takes up the center of the square. When I was there, the whole display, the plates and cups, were covered in gray dust, moldering. A giant red sculpture of an anatomical heart, the size of a car engine, was draped in chains. And everywhere were the names and photos of the kidnapped. One corner was dedicated to posters with the faces of some of the young women who were taken—Daniela, Agam, Romi. The age of one captive who had been 19 on October 7 was crossed out, and a 20 was scrawled in Sharpie. hairs and place settings, one for each of the hostages, takes up the center of the square. When I was there, the whole display, the plates and cups, were covered in gray dust, moldering. A giant red sculpture of an anatomical heart, the size of a car engine, was draped in chains. And everywhere were the names and photos of the kidnapped. One corner was dedicated to posters with the faces of some of the young women who were taken—Daniela, Agam, Romi. The age of one captive who had been 19 on October 7 was crossed out, and a 20 was scrawled in Sharpie.hairs and place settings, one for each of the hostages, takes up the center of the square. When I was there, the whole display, the plates and cups, were covered in gray dust, moldering. A giant red sculpture of an anatomical heart, the size of a car engine, was draped in chains. And everywhere were the names and photos of the kidnapped. One corner was dedicated to posters with the faces of some of the young women who were taken—Daniela, Agam, Romi. The age of one captive who had been 19 on October 7 was crossed out, and a 20 was scrawled in Sharpie. hairs and place settings, one for each of the hostages, takes up the center of the square. When I was there, the whole display, the plates and cups, were covered in gray dust, moldering. A giant red sculpture of an anatomical heart, the size of a car engine, was draped in chains. And everywhere were the names and photos of the kidnapped. One corner was dedicated to posters with the faces of some of the young women who were taken—Daniela, Agam, Romi. The age of one captive who had been 19 on October 7 was crossed out, and a 20 was scrawled in Sharpie. hairs and place settings, one for each of the hostages, takes up the center of the square. When I was there, the whole display, the plates and cups, were covered in gray dust, moldering. A giant red sculpture of an anatomical heart, the size of a car engine, was draped in chains. And everywhere were the names and photos of the kidnapped. One corner was dedicated to posters with the faces of some of the young women who were taken—Daniela, Agam, Romi. The age of one captive who had been 19 on October 7 was crossed out, and a 20 was scrawled in Sharpie.