Say what you like about ‘Sadiq Khan’s no-go hellscape’ – Britain’s cities prove the rightwing agitators wrong | Jonathan Liew

Rightwing agitators and certain media outlets falsely portray British cities, particularly London, as dangerous "no-go hellscapes" filled with violence and vice. This narrative often misrepresents events and attempts to link them to city leaders like Sadiq Khan, even when incidents occur far from London. This demonization of cities is seen as part of a broader global rightwing trend that recasts urban centers as malign entities. The article argues that this anti-urban sentiment is often a convenient vehicle for expressing more base grievances and is historically linked to white supremacy, promoting a fictional idea of an "authentic" homeland outside cities. Despite statistical evidence that contradicts claims of rising knife crime in London compared to other regions, and a general trend of increasing urban populations, this narrative persists. Cities are inherently complex, fluid, and diverse places, representing a full spectrum of human ex... download the app to read more