Neo-Nazi in Finland Prompts UK Riots with Arson Instructions

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The BBC recently confronted a 20-year-old neo-Nazi in Finland who shared instructions on how to commit arson with rioters in the UK during the summer. The individual, Charles-Emmanuel Mikko Rasanen, was an administrator in the Southport Wake Up group on Telegram, where he went by the alias "Mr AG." The group, which grew to over 14,000 members, played a crucial role in organizing protests that spiraled into violent riots in England and Northern Ireland.

 

Watch: “Mr.AG” was an administrator of the “Southport Wake Up” channel that provoked violence this summer.

NEW - The BBC has tracked down and confronted the neo-Nazi who shared an arson manual with UK rioters.

He’s 20 and lives in Finland.

“https://t.co/UFwtJYPEpv” was an administrator of the “Southport Wake Up” channel that provoked violence this summer. pic.twitter.com/O7oRzEW3es

— Ed Thomas (@EdThomasNews) October 2, 2024

 

Rasanen posted an arson manual, written by a Russian fascist group, and pinned it to the top of the group chat, making it easily accessible to members. He described the manual as "something fun for you to read," encouraging attacks on Muslims and Jews while advising readers on how to evade the police. Beneath this post, other group members left disturbing comments, such as, “I’m ready for these migrant boys,” and references to "invaders."

The BBC tracked down the neo-Nazi who was behind that Telegram account that fuelled the Southport riots.

His name Charles-Emmanuel Mikko Rasanen and he's from Finland. pic.twitter.com/5jwcPlAxwH

— Mukhtar (@I_amMukhtar) October 2, 2024

 

The Southport Wake Up group was formed shortly after the killings of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport on 29 July. By the following day, protests had been organized by the group, the first of which took place on St Luke's Road in Southport, eventually escalating into a riot. The group also advertised future protest locations and listed several refugee centers as potential targets before being taken down by Telegram moderators.

 

 

The BBC traced Rasanen to his apartment in Helsinki, Finland, more than 1,000 miles away from the UK. When confronted, Rasanen refused to answer questions but did not deny his involvement in the riots or his role as an administrator of the group. Before the BBC left, he accused them of harassment and called the police.

 

 

Rasanen’s online activity extends beyond the UK riots. On his Telegram accounts, he openly celebrates Hitler and supports the Nordic Resistance Movement, a neo-Nazi organization banned as a terrorist group in the US. He also posts voice notes identifying himself as a "national socialist" and, in one instance, calling for the genocide of Jewish people. 

 

Veli-Pekka Hämäläinen, an investigative journalist with Finland’s national broadcaster Yle, noted that Rasanen has been active online for years. He explained that Rasanen’s involvement in the Southport Wake Up group transformed him from a lone extremist into a figure with a large following. “This is an example of how lone internet keyboard warriors can turn dangerous,” Hämäläinen said. He also mentioned that while Rasanen had been investigated as a teenager for making threats, he was never charged.

 

The British anti-fascist research group Red Flare discovered Rasanen's connections to the far-right white nationalist group Patriotic Alternative (PA) in the UK. Rasanen was a member of a private gaming group chat where his posts were shared by PA figures, including Yorkshire’s regional organizer Sam Melia, who was jailed for inciting racial hatred. According to a Red Flare spokesperson, Rasanen's actions exemplify the international nature of modern far-right extremism: “What we have here is a case of a young man sitting behind his keyboard in a different country starting racist violence in Britain.”

 

The UK government’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, Jonathan Hall KC, indicated that if Rasanen were in the UK, he would likely be arrested and prosecuted under the 2006 Terrorism Act. Hall estimates that at least half of terrorism-related prosecutions in the UK last year involved the Telegram app.

 

Though Telegram removed the Southport Wake Up group and other channels inciting violence in August, Rasanen's influence was already widespread. Telegram stated that it is prepared to cooperate with the UK and Finnish governments as needed. However, it remains unclear whether Finland will extradite Rasanen, and no arrest warrant has been issued.

 

A UK government spokesperson confirmed that efforts are underway to implement the Online Safety Act to prevent social media platforms from being used to spread hatred and violence. "We will not let the internet serve as a haven for those seeking to sow division in our communities," the spokesperson said.

 

Based on a report from: BBC 2024-10-04

 

 

 

[Theforgotten1]

Why pick on the the Jewish people , I stand with Israel, the only country willing to fight for freedom