A spate of hate-filled marches organised by the far-right are plaguing our cities and towns across England. In response, many have formed counter-protests outnumbering the far-right and showing them that ordinary people in this country do not share their views.
Rioters emboldened by politicians
The scenes we have witnessed in Rotherham have not come out of nowhere; a fire was started in a hotel housing asylum seekers and there have been reports of racially motivated attacks across the UK. This explosion of far-right activity has been years in the making and has been emboldened by politicians; not least, Reform UK Limited and their five MPs, one of whom is my MP, Lee Anderson.
After we had seen riots, and bricks thrown at a mosque in Southport because of false information spread on social media, Anderson decided to post on Facebook about a local Travelodge housing ‘illegal immigrants.’ His post included a photo of the Travelodge and a statement that he did not want “young men who have entered our country illegally roaming our streets.”
Although his false claims were quickly debunked in the comments by a local resident who explained that they were care home workers and NHS employees from the local hospital, the damage had already been done. There is clear evidence of ethnic minorities, particularly Muslims, being targeted because of who they are; yet Anderson has chosen to be silent on these issues.
Increasing racial hostility
As a young man who is visibly from an ethnic minority and lives in Sutton-in-Ashfield, a post like this puts me in direct danger. With tensions already heightened, this uninformed post by Anderson was used to stir up hatred towards people like me who call Ashfield home. As I have said many times before, including in an article earlier this year for Byline Times, the vast majority of people in Ashfield are not racist. I have lived here for many years and am firmly part of the community.
However, my heart sank when Anderson was voted in with a substantial majority in the 2024 general election. For many of us who are ethnic minorities or are the kids of migrants, we only want our hometown to love us back. The views of my MP have made this increasingly difficult. But it’s not just the fringe parties encouraging the hatred. The rhetoric of both Labour and the Conservatives has also encouraged the far-right.
At far-right marches, chants of ‘stop the boats’ were ringing out. This Conservative Party slogan has been adopted by the far-right. At the same time, Labour have also pandered to racist and xenophobic rhetoric in the general election campaign. John Ashworth’s comments about deporting people from Bangladesh and India ultimately led to him losing his seat, but his comments contributed to the growing hostility many of us face in this country.
Far-right riots are not protests
To counter this rise of the far-right, we must first call them what they are. They are the far-right. Describing far-right riots as ‘protests,’ and not explicitly labelling them for what they are, allows them to frame themselves as ‘ordinary people.’ It allows them to claim that ‘far-right’ is just a label used for working-class people when this is clearly not the case.
Our politicians need to do more. They must stop allowing far-right talking points on immigration and must instead turn towards empathy and a system based on care and humanity. When people are dying in the English Channel we mustn’t reduce the discussion to slogans. Our government must implement safe routes for those seeking asylum.
We will overcome the far-right
Economic downturns result in a rise of the far-right. Having come out of a pandemic, and while still experiencing the impact of a cost-of-living crisis, continuing austerity and cutting public services further will only strengthen the far-right. Communities like my own in Ashfield need investment, especially when we are combating the rise of the far-right amongst young men.
We must not be afraid to push back. At the 2024 general election, Labour finished second in Ashfield, but during the campaign they were almost invisible, with Reform UK Limited and Independent boards dominating the streets. Labour didn’t appear to put up a fight against Reform – there was no visit from high-profile Labour MPs and no focus from the central Labour Party.
The far-right is on the rise. We beat them before and will beat them again. But to do so we must be organised and not afraid to call them out for what they are.
