London is much reviled by people who don’t live there. It has its share of social problems typical to a large metropolis, but it is unusual in having also a dystopian twin – a fallen city, overrun with violent criminals, located in the imagination of rightwing politicians and the online sources they consume.
The capital’s denigrators felt vindicated recently by scenes of disorder on Clapham High Street. Hundreds of young people, rallied on social media, mustered for a spontaneous gathering, which degenerated into a spree of antisocial behaviour. Images of the disorder were shared online as proof of the capital’s status as a no-go area. Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, said that the unrest was symptomatic of “societal breakdown”.
Sadiq Khan, London’s mayor, condemned the episode and pledged to apply the “full force of the law” to punish the perpetrators. He has also committed £30m for late-night youth clubs – one in each borough of the capital. That investment, using money allocated in Rachel Reeves’s recent budget, reverses some of the cuts to youth services under successive Conservative chancellors. Susan Hall, the Tory leader at City Hall, dismissed the investment as a misuse of resources because youth clubs “do not tackle criminality”.
They are certainly no panacea. Law enforcement and responsible parenting are essential in preventing delinquency. But Mr Khan is right to identify the lack of dedicated, safe spaces as a cause of antisocial behaviour. Teenagers will always crave independence. Some need refuge from overcrowded, chaotic or abusive households. They need somewhere to go. Without money, their options are few.
Society benefits as a whole when the younger generation is afforded recreational spaces. Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative party leader, advocates banning teens from social media, so she should recognise the corollary point that, once banished from digital platforms, young people will need analogue places to hang out. But when it comes to London in general, and the actions of its mayor in particular, some politicians seem incapable of forming rational judgments. The Clapham scenes were shocking and required a robust response. But they do not prove the collapse of law and order in the capital or anywhere else. Perspective is required.
Older generations have always lamented the behaviour of their juniors. Fear of feral youth has been a mainstay of public debate for as long as there has been media to amplify a moral panic on the subject. That dynamic is accelerated in channels of digital radicalisation, where ideologues, often in the US, depict the UK under a Labour government and its capital under a Muslim mayor as parables of civilisational decline caused by mass migration. These online fictions have real-world consequences, deterring tourism and depleting trust.
In truth, London is a case study in successful multiculturalism, safer than most equivalent cities. That record can still be improved. Mr Khan’s youth centres will be a welcome addition. Sadly, they won’t be appreciated by the feral online mob that is committed to trashing a great British city for audiences elsewhere.
