UK: far-right violence

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has made strong statements in support of Muslims who have been under siege from rioting neonazi mobs across the country, after a disinformation campaign blaming Muslims for the horrific mass stabbing in Southport, which saw three little girls murdered and 10 other people injured.

The leaders of the disinformation campaign include a sitting MP, a popular YouTuber under trial for rape and sex trafficking, and a far-right leader with a long criminal history. All of them parroted variations of claims that the attacker was 20-something Muslim, either South Asian or Middle Eastern, and an illegal migrant with a criminal past, when the truth is that he was British-born and local to the area, although his parents were immigrants from Rwanda. His name was initially withheld because he is a minor, and was only unsealed after a judge decided that the circumstances were extraordinary and that naming him will rubbish the disinformation and hopefully end the violence.

Unfortunately, the violence has continued because right-wing thugs don’t care about facts. They just want to lynch Muslims for sport. While the government’s decision to increase security around mosques and PM Starmer’s unequivocal assertion that he would do “whatever it takes to bring these thugs to justice” have established some trust in the government, there is still concern over the slow pace of action against the instigators. While there was some talk of listing the English Defence League as a terrorist outfit, the process is not being prioritised. Meanwhile, despite several arrests, the riots continue, partly because the government is not taking action against the chief instigators.

British ultranationalism has seen significant growth in recent years, thanks in part to Brexit and its fallout, and over a decade of inaction by Conservative PMs, some of whom actively courted the far right. The Labour Party needs to use its overwhelming majority to dismantle the far right now, before it grows into something more organised, and much more dangerous.