This summer, Britain witnessed some of its worst riots in over two decades. The catalyst was the horrific murder of three children during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport. False claims online that the suspect was a Muslim asylum seeker sparked widespread violence, with mosques and refugee accommodations being targeted by angry mobs. The violence was not only directed at immigrants but also at long-standing communities of color, fueled by various far-right groups.

 

As the newly elected Labour government under Prime Minister Keir Starmer searches for answers, a glaring issue has emerged: the previous Conservative government’s neglect of the rising threat of far-right extremism. According to officials working in counter-extremism, the last three years of the Conservative administration saw a significant drop in monitoring far-right activities, despite escalating tensions over immigration.

 

Prime Minister Starmer responded swiftly to the riots by deploying a "standing army" of police officers, resulting in over 1,000 arrests and more than 600 charges. Among those arrested were two 12-year-old boys accused of throwing projectiles at the police and brothers who looted a local library. However, the roots of the violence seem to trace back to a failure to adequately address far-right extremism.

 

A civil servant involved in national security suggested that this oversight was partly due to diverted funding and low morale among those tasked with monitoring extremism. Another official revealed that while the Conservative government had effectively managed public health disinformation during the pandemic, their focus on far-right extremism waned, leaving the country vulnerable. The official added that previous governments, both Conservative and Labour, had traditionally kept a close watch on right-wing extremism, but there had been a significant reduction in resources dedicated to this threat in recent years.

 

Professor Paul Thomas, a counter-extremism expert, pointed out that financial constraints due to the post-COVID cost of living crisis further contributed to this lack of focus on the far-right. He noted that there had been no new or revised counter-extremism strategy in the past few years, leading to a discontinuation of preventative activities that were crucial in some areas prone to far-right extremism. A review by Sara Khan, the government’s former social cohesion and resilience adviser, echoed these concerns. Her review warned that budget cuts were leaving communities vulnerable to exploitation by extremists, including the far-right. The city of Stoke, for instance, lost its anti-terrorism funding despite ongoing extremist activity, resulting in increased violence during the riots.

 

London also saw cuts to its anti-extremism efforts, with Prevent funding set to be reduced by half by 2025. Dr. Jessica White, a terrorism and conflict studies expert, highlighted that far-right activity had indeed fueled the riots. She pointed out that while not all participants in the unrest were violent extremists, the far-right's influence made it easier for them to get caught up in extremist ideologies.

 

The previous government had been repeatedly warned about the growing far-right threat, including by the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) in 2022. The committee criticized the transfer of responsibility for extreme right-wing terrorism to MI5 without adequate resources, leaving the security services stretched thin. The ISC also noted that the armed forces lacked a ban on joining extremist organizations, which they deemed risky.

 

Despite these warnings, there was a prevailing belief among some officials that the far-right did not pose a significant threat. Alex Carlile, a former MP and terrorism legislation reviewer, mentioned that the far-right was often dismissed as “idiotic political activists” rather than a serious threat. However, the recent riots have shown that this underestimation had severe consequences.

 

As Britain moves forward, Prime Minister Starmer has emphasized the need to tackle the "snake oil of populism and nationalism" that fueled the unrest. His government has announced a review of its counter-extremism strategy, with a focus on both Islamist and far-right extremism, as well as extreme misogyny. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper stated that action against extremism had been severely weakened in recent years, just when it was needed most.

 

The government now faces the challenge of rebuilding its approach to countering extremism, addressing both the immediate threat from the far-right and the underlying issues that allowed this summer's riots to spiral out of control.

 

Credit: Politico 2024-09-03

 

 

 

Get the ASEAN NOW daily NEWSLETTER - Click HERE to subscribe

4 hours ago, Social Media said:

Conservative government’s neglect of the rising threat of far-right extremism.

Hardly.

 

They courted it, and hopefuls for the leadership of the Tory Party are still courting the far right.

 

 

Nothing to do with the mythical "far right". 

 

The Tories promised to get a control of immigration and failed. When people's votes are ignored and they are lied to, unfortunately it can lead to unrest. 

 

It will only get worse under Labour. Starmer can't simply lock up the millions of people who object to seeing their country and liberty taken from them. His deeply authoritarian two tier approach will only add fuel to the fire. 

The Farridge Riots were a direct result of successive governments allowing the far right loons a sense of entitlement by not calling them out and, in some cases, enabling the far right cretins.

A brief précis of that week (not summer) of unrest: A homicidal maniac murdered 3 little girls at a dance class in Southport. Within hours the occasional MP for Clacton goes on the airwaves making references to a certain Andrew Tate who said that the murderer was an "illegal" immigrant who had entered UK by small boat last year. When challenged to back this bs up Farridge said [we're not being told the truth, we're just asking questions].

The truth was that the alleged murderer was Welsh and Christian.

This didn't fit the narrative of the far right knuckle scrapers but Farridge's seed was sown. 

The upside of this is that after a week of far right thugs smashing up their own neighbourhoods 10s of thousands of good people came out to protect their streets and the far right thugs (the ones who weren't banged up) slithered off back under their stones.

7 hours ago, JonnyF said:

Nothing to do with the mythical "far right". 

 

There is nothing ‘mythical’ about the far right.

 

They exist and they were both inciting riots and rioting.

 

Refer numerous court convictions back by actual court records.

22 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

There is nothing ‘mythical’ about the far right.

 

They exist and they were both inciting riots and rioting.

 

Refer numerous court convictions back by actual court records.

 

Nah. The "rise of the far right" is a myth. 

 

It's just the most recent soundbite used by the left wing media for when huge numbers of people openly disagree with left wing ideology. 

 

I'm not surprised you've latched onto it though. 😄

The Left loonies are much worse. And they are left alone to do what ever they want

1 hour ago, Red Forever said:

The truth was that the alleged murderer was Welsh and Christian.

 

Do you have a link that proves the "alleged" murderer was a Christian at the time of the murders or are you just making up yet more fake news that you are accusing others of doing?   

51 minutes ago, James105 said:

 

Do you have a link that proves the "alleged" murderer was a Christian at the time of the murders or are you just making up yet more fake news that you are accusing others of doing?   

We know for certain that his parents are Christian, he a choir boy and that the family were regular attendees of a local church.

 

You can cling to slim hopes that he was not a Christian at the time he committed those heinous murders.

 

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/southport-suspect-autistic-choir-boy-33378855

 

Edited September 3, 20241 yr by Chomper Higgot

3 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

There is nothing ‘mythical’ about the far right.

 

They exist and they were both inciting riots and rioting.

 

Refer numerous court convictions back by actual court records.

What is a far right policy?

49 minutes ago, maesariang said:

What is a far right policy?

Where did I mention far right policies?

 

 

 

14 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Where did I mention far right policies?

 

 

 

What is a far right person? What are there beliefs? I've never met one.

20 minutes ago, maesariang said:

What is a far right person? What are there beliefs? I've never met one.

Plenty of examples in the reports of far right rioters and agitators that have been convicted for hate crimes.

 

Here’s one for you:

 

“Lucy Connolly tweeted about hotels housing asylum seekers on the same day three girls were fatally stabbed at a dance class in Southport. She said on X: “Mass deportation now, set fire to all the <deleted> hotels full of the bastards for all I care … If that makes me racist, so be it.””

 

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/sep/02/childminder-lucy-connolly-married-to-tory-councillor-pleads-guilty-to-stirring-up-racial-hatred-hotels-asylum-seekers