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The murder of three girls in Southport on July 29th did not unite Britain in condemning the violence. Instead, the far-right and its allies turned it into a social media misinformation campaign, falsely suggesting the 17-year-old killer was a Muslim asylum-seeker (he was in fact British with parents of Rwandan descent from a Christian upbringing). This manipulation tactic to promote far-right ideology stoked many violent insurgencies across the UK. The targets have been hotels housing asylum-seekers as well as mosques. Violence is widespread, whilst hate speech against Muslims and asylum-seekers is becoming pervasive.
These attacks are against everything Britain stands for as a multicultural and democratic nation. The UK’s protesting and hate speech laws are transgressed. Whether you are a conservative or a liberal, the Southport insurgencies showcase how far-right groups wish to destroy the traditional values of Britain’s democracy. They do not stand for conservative values of low immigration and instead are the source of political violence against Britain’s Muslim minority and immigrant-background citizens.
Due to the dangerous nature of these insurgencies, the Labour government has promptly responded with police action. Since the start of the insurgency, British police have made 400 arrests across the UK . However, with violent protests increasing and police targeted as well, Labour has had to level up its security forces. COBRA meetings have been held to best equip Britain’s justice system to combat the far-right insurgencies .
The political crisis also extends to the media, with Labour condemning far-right criticisms of its policing. Nigel Farage, despite condemning the Southport insurgencies, has focused more on Britain’s policing system rather than distancing far-right groups. He denounced the police for not disclosing the identity of the killer sooner to prevent the violent insurgencies. Yet Farage conveniently forgets to mention the extent to which the far-right misinformation tactics play a major role in stoking violence.
The subsequent riots after the Southport attack reveal the dangers of spiralling misinformation. Take a look at the video below.
From abroad, Elon Musk labelled the Southport attacks “inevitable”, meeting heavy backlash from Labour . This comment is part of Musk’s shift to the right, supporting far-right trends, and hiding behind “free speech” to justify his divisive and uninformed ideas. Musk and Farage have decided to place blame for the Southport crisis on UK policing rather than primarily emphasising the role of far-right groups. Both men work politically to lower people’s confidence in the British state and allow right-wing populism to fester.
There is much more to be said about Labour’s response, as it is still unclear what PM Keir Starmer will do to end the Southport insurgency. The COBRA meeting’s details are still not finalised, and much more must be done to increase police efforts and quash misinformation online. However, it is clear that Labour and most of British politics stands against the far right and its violent nature. Meanwhile, Farage and Musk continue toutilise the tragic event to stoke division and promote distrust against the British state to increase their following.
The Southport insurgencies indicate a wider trend in British and European politics: far-right polarisation aimed at undermining the state and fostering distrust amongst its citizens. In democratic politics, some movements must not be allowed a voice as their purpose is to oppress minorities and destroy trust in democracy. Labour has a lot of work to quash down the attacks once and for all, but its playbook is clear: the police and media forces are key to eliminating the far-right movement.
Yet Labour must also explicitly respond to far-right criticism from home and abroad. Farage and Musk use the mask of free speech to lower legitimacy in the British state in times of crisis and displace the heat on far-right groups. If such voices are allowed to manipulate people away from the real issue of the far right, British and European Liberalism can die out. What must be done is accuse far-right groups of treason as they stand polar opposite to UK values and pose a threat to minorities and citizens’ freedom to exist.
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