The UK is more than a free country, it accepts the freedom of speech and it takes it to an extreme sometimes. The politics in the UK from what I understood from some friends living in the UK is the fear of discriminating someone for their beliefs. I agree to that but there has to be an extent to which this is accepted. I agree to anyone having their own ideas, religion, politics and anything else, as long as that does not hurt other people around them, as long as they do not try in any way to impose their beliefs on someone else or judge them for having different beliefs. As long as you are making someone else uncomfortable on purpose, to try to impose your own ideas, religion or whatever it is not normal!
I understand every religion and I accept it, even so I am never going to tell someone that their religion is not good, just because it is not mine. I am never going to try to impose to someone to eat what I eat, because I eat healthy. I will never tell someone what is good or wrong unless I a asked about my opinion.
Now, this is the actual reason why all of this has happened in the UK, because someone can't accept the rules and ideas, religion and creed of the British people. As, for the the violence right now brycejones is correct, it is the past that is turning round, now it is Muslims, in the past it was the Catholic Church, protestants and whatsoever.
It just looks like a war between religions that is on an never ending spiral and gets to hurting innocent people all around! Too bad, religion should be about something completely different