Britain’s far-right undertow turns hostile currents against ethnic and religious minorities into a tsunami of hatred. Pause a moment to register two unloved anniversaries. This spring marks a decade since the first anti-Muslim street movement, the English Defence League (EDL), emerged on British streets. Slowly but surely, the Democratic Football Lads Alliance (DFLA), now a… Continue reading “The DFLA: a(nother) new UK far right movement?”
In October 2018, the Democratic Football Lads Alliance (DFLA) took to the streets of London in their thousands to protest against issues such as “returning jihadists” and “rape gangs”. Keen to stress they are not racists but concerned members of the public, a grassroots movement who simply want to be heard, they claim the voice… Continue reading “Catalyst or Catharsis: Inside the DFLA Secret Facebook Groups”
On Thursday, Gerard Batten, the leader of UKIP, hired Stephen Yaxley-Lennon as an adviser, a move which marked a canny awareness of the power of digital influencers to reach new audiences, and suggested an overt shift towards the far-right under the stewardship of Gerard Batten, as well as the embracement of a new digital strategy.… Continue reading “SPLIT KIPPERS: THE INCREASING POPULISM OF UKIP”
Since the events of 9/11 in the USA and 7/7 in the UK, considerable public attention has been paid to issues relating to terrorism, radicalisation, and extremism. As the threats posed by Islamist terrorists have been visible and dramatic, counter-terrorism measures have tended to focus on Muslim communities. In the process of this almost single-minded emphasis,… Continue reading “When Are We Going To Take The Threat of The Radical Right Seriously?”
If you thought the campaign to free Tommy Robinson was a failure, think again. On June 9, London saw a convergence of thousands of demonstrators to protest the jailing of Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known to most as Tommy Robinson, formerly of the radical-right English Defence League (EDL). Robinson had been arrested for breach of the peace… Continue reading “The Hidden Success of the Far Right’s “Free Tommy” Campaign”
I’m currently (slowly) converting my PhD thesis into a book which will explore how the addition of “right wing extremism” to the scope of the Prevent Strategy impacted on local responses to the English Defence League. A few fellow researchers have asked why I’m bothering to write a book about the anti-Islam street protest movement.… Continue reading “The UK’s anti-Islam English Defence League – Still Yesterday’s news on the UK’s radical right scene?”
After protests in London following the imprisonment of far-right activist Tommy Robinson, William Allchorn examines the changing strategies of the UK’s fringe extreme-right groups in recent months, which include a concerning revival of street protest, mobilising around a narrative of victimisation. Last weekend (9 June), saw one of the most prominent far-right mobilisations of the… Continue reading “Tommy Robinson and the UK’s Post-EDL Far Right: How Extremists are Mobilising in Response to Online Restrictions and Developing a New ‘Victimisation’ Narrative”
This short documentary explores the turbulent relationship between the UK’s fascist social movement, English Defence League (EDL) and the anti-fascist pressure group, Unite Against Fascism (UAF). The documentary includes an interview with Professor Matthew Feldman. – May 8, 2018. Professor Matthew Feldman is Director of CARR, specialising on fascist ideology and the far-right in Europe and the… Continue reading “Silent Discussion | SHORT DOCUMENTARY”
In October 2017, up to 30,000 people demonstrated on the streets of London in response to the terror attacks in Manchester and at London Bridge earlier that year. The second demonstration of its kind in the capital, it was organised by the Football Lads Alliance (FLA). Its third demonstration took place in Birmingham last month.… Continue reading “The Football Lad’s Alliance: the latest far-right street movement?”
An article for Vice.com by Matthew Feldman: “In March of 2017, a terror attack in Westminster left 49 people injured and six dead or dying. While victims were still being driven away in ambulances, English Defence League (EDL) founder Tommy Robinson rushed to the scene with a camera crew to pace around outside the police… Continue reading “Is It Okay to Be Gay (and in the Far-Right)?”