The Guardian view on London and antisocial behaviour: a real problem inflated by online panic | Editorial

<p>Sadiq Khan has the right approach, but his critics are determined to see the capital as a fictionalised case study in lawlessness</p><p>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.</p><p>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 <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/apr/01/police-disorder-arrests-clapham-london">spontaneous gathering</a>, 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”.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/08/the-guardian-view-on-london-and-antisocial-behaviour-a-real-problem-inflated-by-online-panic">Continue reading...</a>