Extremism Researcher On England "Most Of Them Are Not Racists"

Am I far-right?’ asks the sign of this anti-immigration protester in Aldershot on Sunday

The riots unite right-wing influencers, racist activists and apolitical followers, says Matthew Feldman, and thus their own approaches.

Mr Feldman, you have been researching the far right for a long time. Are you surprised by the events of the past few days in the UK?

Matthew Feldman: Shocked, but not surprised. The pattern is familiar, incitement on social media brings people onto the streets after a day or two and there is serious unrest. We see a pipeline where disinformation ends up with individual political actors, these online influencers then incite people to take to the streets and that leads to violence in the real world, which spills back online.

You have to make a precise distinction. On the one hand, there are leaders. Even if there isn't one movement, there are people from groups like Britain First or Patriotic Alternative, who were blocked by Twitter and have since been allowed back in, like Tommy Robinson and Andrew Tate, who spread fake news and get people to take to the streets. That's the first group, the influencers.

The second group is the people on the street who are on the far right. They can have a racist world view, be Nazis, identify with groups such as the English Defence League, which has not existed for over ten years, but whose connections are still there. The third group is that of fellow travellers and for me it is the most important. They are not necessarily right-wing extremists. They may share some concerns about immigration and multiculturalism or Islam or Judaism, but they are not activists. What we've seen in the last few days is more like a carnival.

You just go and watch, and maybe you cover your face and join in a bit, not because you're against black people or Muslims, but because it's Saturday and you can drink beer and it's more interesting than football.

How should this be handled?
Feldman: You have to treat the three groups differently. With the first group of ideologues, it is a matter of criminal prosecution if they incite violence or glorify terror or violate social media regulations. The second group is a political matter.

Germany is very good at banning violent groups that are directed against the state, and we also have to look at whether there is criminal behaviour in these groups. And political parties, such as Nigel Farage's Reform, must clearly distance themselves from political violence. The third group, the followers, is the largest and most difficult. You have to enter into a social and cultural dialogue with them. Telling people they are stupid and racist will change little. You have to spread other narratives.

The starting point of the riots was the murder of three girls in Southport and the narrative that the perpetrator was a Muslim refugee

Feldman: He's not even Muslim! You have to counter that and say that the alleged murderer is a British-born Briton who has spent his whole life here. If the far right then says he is black, they are resorting to the stereotype that black people commit more crime: By doing so, they are saying that it doesn't matter that the perpetrator was born in the UK and only the colour of his skin matters.

There is much less support for such an argument in the centre of society.Most of those who follow are not racists.

You can't say to a quarter of society, you're stupid, go back to your cave. But you shouldn't legitimise their arguments either. There is a difference between listening and agreeing.

How do you assess the government's reaction?

Feldman: Prime Minister Keir Starmer has reacted correctly by taking the situation seriously and acting quickly. He is now talking about a national police force that should be able to intervene directly throughout the country, and that is to be welcomed. But something similar is also needed for the online world.

It's about more than laws against hate on the internet, it's about disinformation and hate. In the real world, some of the cities where we have now seen riots are frontline cities between the far right and the mainstream. Parts of social media and the internet are also frontlines.

Francis Tawiah (Duisburg, Germany)