Right-wing extremist groups 'leaderless and marginalised in UK'

HOPE not hate media release:

Monday 8th February 2016

Challenging Hate | Building Communities

www.hopenothate.org.uk | @hopenothate

‘STATE OF HATE 2015' report released today by HOPE not hate 

Political and economic conditions for right-wing extremist groups could hardly be better in the UK and yet the far right is politically marginalised, fractured, leaderless and increasingly violent.

The State of Hate 2015 report, released today by anti-extremism campaign HOPE not hate, says that while traditional far-right movements are collapsing others are turning to increased violence and the targeting of British Muslims, particularly as anti-Muslim hatred is being mainstreamed.

Underlying decline

The British National Party (BNP) and the anti-Muslim street movement, the English Defence League (EDL), are both shrinking and have fractured several times. 

The 2015 General Election highlighted the political impotency of Britain's far right, with the BNP standing just eight (8) candidates in 2015, compared to 338 in 2010, and averaging just 0.5% of the vote in these seats.

A lack of effective leadership has severely hampered traditional British far-right parties, contributing to their underlying weaknesses.

HOPE not hate's previous State of Hate report (2014) revealed that the movement's three key leaders (Nick Griffin, ex-of the BNP; Jim Dowson, formerly Chairman of Britain First; and Stephen Lennon, ex-EDL leader) had all - voluntarily or forced - withdrawn from frontline leadership roles during 2014.

All three have attempted to make political comebacks in 2015, to varying degrees of success, with Stephen Lennon (aka ‘Tommy Robinson') - now of Pegida UK, which marched in Birmingham this weekend - enjoying the highest profile.

Growth in militancy

2015 saw a rise in demonstrations (61 in 2015 compared to 41 in 2014) and violent clashes between far-right activists and their anti-fascist counterparts. This is likely to continue into 2016.

The most active group on the far right is the North West Infidels (NWI), who were involved in violence with anti-fascist protesters in Dover on 30th January this year.

The Infidels is a network of regional fascist gangs which split from the EDL and which pursue a far more confrontational and violent agenda.

Linked to this growing violence, 2015 saw a growth in far-right activists getting involved in survivalist, outdoor training and martial arts groups. These include the Misanthropic Division, led by a former member of the fascist Azov Battalion in Ukraine and the Italian nazi group, Casa Pound.

Others, such as Sigurd Legion (Legion), have released videos documenting men stripped to the waist punching each other as they practice unarmed combat while others train with knives.

National Action (NA), which tried to stage a "white man march" in Liverpool last year (which was routed by anti-fascists), is one of the most organisationally sophisticated neo-nazi groups, possessing its own internal internet forum and regularly using the ‘Dark Web'.

Foreign far-right supporters living in the UK are also becoming increasingly active. One of the most active groups currently in Britain is called Narodowe Odrodzenie Polski, meaning "the national rebirth of Poland". Dozens of UK-based Italian fascists are active in the British nazi music scene.

Nick Lowles, chief executive of HOPE not hate and the report's co-author, said:

"The rising militancy of Britain's far right will lead to greater violence in 2016. This could be manifested in three ways: a general increase in anti-left wing harassment and attacks; communal violence where gangs of far-right supporters clash with Muslim or Eastern European youths; or, in extreme cases, terrorism.

"The underlying rhetoric of much of Britain's far right is that a societal conflict - either between Muslims and non-Muslims or more generally with immigrant communities - is inevitable. For some, that means preparing for it or even encouraging it along.

"The Government needs to understand the changing nature of the British far-right threat and get to grips with the growing threat posed by far-right violence."

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HOPE not hate www.hopenothate.org.uk | @hopenothate is the UK's largest anti-extremism campaign. It researches and challenges organised hatred, and campaigns to strengthen communities.