Far-right clashes in UK part of the perennial xenophobic undercurrent

Although it pales into insignificance compared with the ongoing protests in Bangladesh, which have left nearly 100 people dead, the far-right clashes in the UK are pretty significant in themselves. Hard on the heels of a general election which left the burgeoning British extreme-right movement in the dust and a Labour government in power with a landslide majority, here we see disaffected fascist types taking the law into their own hands.

With the pretext of a horrendous stabbing incident in the northern English town of Southport in which three young girls were killed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class and many more were injured. The perpetrator, a disturbed young man named Axel Rudakubana, turns out to have been born in Wales, to Christian Rwandan parents, but he is most certainly black and that is enough for the far right to create a narrative and run with it, facts be damned. Thus, he has been painted as a Muslim madman who entered the country as an illegal immigrant, like thousands of other desperate people crossing the English channel from Europe. 

(Controversial "influencer" Andrew Tate, who was one standout among the many who were whipping things up on social media, later admitted, "perhaps I was wrong about the fact he was an illegal migrant". Yuh, think? And, hold on, "perhaps"? and "the fact"? That's your idea of an apology?)

So, hundreds of (almost equally disturbed) rioters have stormed various locations, mainly working class towns in northern England like Rotherham, Middlesborough, Bolton, Hartlepool and others (plus gentrified Weymouth in the south!), attacking targets like a hotel used to house illegal immigrants and a mosque, throwing bricks, furniture, bottles, fire extinguishers and anything else that comes to hand at police. One rioter, when asked why they were running around smashing neighbourhood windows, merely retorted, "Because we're English!", which gives you an idea of the level of debate that is going on.

And behind it all, a bunch of radical online influencers, anti-Muslim extremists and fascist groups, including Patriotic Alternative, British Movement, English Defence League, and other similarly-named shadowy organizations. It's worth mentioning that several of the instigators were once banned on Twitter, but have since had their accounts reinstated on X by Elon Musk. Thanks, Elon, good job.

There has always been this undercurrent of xenophobia at work in Britain. Official far-right political parties like the National Front and the British National Party are technically not involved in all this, just the more extreme dark side of the movement. But you have to imagine the politicians smiling to themselves in the comfort of their own homes or offices.