Dr Mirjam James

The majority of crimes in the UK are committed by people born in this country. The vast majority of our murderers and pedophiles were born here.  The 17 year old alleged to have committed the atrocity in Southport was also born here. The real criminal problems in this country are without doubt caused by people born on these shores. And the far right response to this obvious fact is to attack people who weren't born here. Is that what patriotism is: the unshakable conviction that crimes cannot be the fault of UK citizens? The 17 year old British boy alleged to have carried out these heinous acts is clearly very unwell and inarguably seriously mentally ill. Surely they should be setting fires and throwing bricks at Broadmoor or Rampton? Because that’s where a lot of mentally ill people are. But no. They’d rather attack a Holiday Inn in Rotherham housing asylum seekers who have escaped war and persecution because that’s the patriotic thing to do.