Not sure it's that comparable. Certainly, the behaviour of thugs who have been rioting/attacking hotels/etc. is massively worse than that of the Just Stop Oil protestors. But on the other hand the protestors you're thinking of got such long sentences in part because they'd been deliberately conspiring and planning the disruption they caused over an extended period of time. That's a aggravating factor in sentencing. But I'm guessing it won't apply to most of the people rioting this week - because it's more likely they just turned up looking for some trouble, with no planning.
I don't know much about sentencing guidelines, but my gut feeling is 5 years in prison feels right for the people involved in the riots.
I would say that is too soft for some of the more severe cases. Certainly the savages petrol-bombing hotels with the aim, doubtless, of brutally slaughtering asylum seekers need to have the book thrown at them.
Just Stop Oil are nothing like as bad as the current rioters. I cannot recall a case in which Just Stop Oil fought pitched battles with the police and firebombed businesses, for example - though apologies if they have and I missed it. They have merely carried out what I'd call "soft nuisance".
Maybe because Reform are not far-right? They are a party that on the whole believes in small Government and free markets, and also in national identity and low immigration.
I'm not sure I see much difference between Reform and the RN to be honest. The RN are not quite as right-wing as the National Front under Le Pen's father and are not fascists, yet they are still widely labelled as far-right. Remember that the RN have attracted 30-35% of the vote in France, far more than Reform here.
Witness Farage's comments in the past week about the "truth being hidden from us" and his past blatantly xenophobic comments directed at certain nationalities, for example, as well as Reform candidates saying some truly horrific things during the election campaign. Or Farage apparently semi-defending Putin by claiming he was provoked into invading Ukraine by the EU and NATO.
Reform are not, in my view, merely right-wing Conservatives. They are something else entirely.
I really don't think it's acceptable to conflate the views of people (like Suella Braverman) who happen to believe immigration should be lower, but who work within the normal political processes, with the awful thuggery, arson, and attempts at intimidation that we've seen over the last week - much of it I suspect by people who have no interest in politics but are happy with any excuse for a bit of violence. (Just as, on the other side, it wouldn't be fair to conflate the views of many people who are very concerned about the environment and want to see drastic action to decarbonise the economy with the awful actions of Just Stop Oil)
I'm not at all saying that people like Braverman, or even Farage, would advocate rioting. However the past few years have produced a climate where hardline and militant anti-immigration views have become more mainstream - and thus, those who hold extremely miltant views on the matter perhaps feel empowered to cross the line into violence.
