The past few days have made it very clear that anyone who thought the days of the British far right as an effectual and meaningful force was a relic of the past were wrong.
The days of overt racism leading to rabid racist-inspired violence at a level that “matters” (as if any level wouldn’t) have gone nowhere, even whilst people that should know better occasionally try and pretend everything is at least OKish.
Catching up with the news somewhat late, there was a horrific and deadly, attack on a group of children and the people who were supervising their dance class. Three children died and a further group of 10 adults and children were stabbed. It was an appalling act. There are no excuses. The perpetrator is in custody and that can only be a good thing.
Some bright spark on “X” decided to invent the fact that the attack was carried out by a Muslim asylum seeker who had just gotten off - of course - a small boat - naming him and everything. In reality the attacker was born in Wales, but hey, social media gonna social media.
Of course even if that story had been true what came next would have been outrageous. But for it all to be based on a lie just makes it even more sickening somehow.
The event kicked off far-right inspired protests, riots, and abject violence all around the country. Screaming hatred at anyone who didn’t look like Nick Griffin’s idiotic vision of what a “true” Ingerlandder looks like was just the start. Presenting a truly hostile environment beyond even the original vision of the Conservatives was on full display. Petrol bombs were thrown at mosques. Police vans and stations were set alight. Rocks were hurled at Filipino nurses who were on their way to work in a hospital as emergency cover during these riots. Mobs even descended on multiple hotels where they believed asylum seekers were being held in order to burn them alive, all whilst shouting “England, England, England”.
In short, all the things that one might expect to happen in a resentful, racist country which has for years (forever?) been constantly fed inflammatory lies from our mainstream politicians and media, mixed in with the malign influence of present-day social media, about how some of the most desperate people in the world are “invading” our country solely in order to ruin your life specifically. We’ve been somehow convinced that it’s the people with no power, rather than the people that exercise true power over us, that make our lives a struggle. As soon as some perceived - no matter how illogical - “excuse” for individuals of certain views to let out their simmering, violent, racist intentions pops up, this is what we see; egged on by foreign disinformation spread by such luminaries as Elon Musk amongst many others.