The recent attempts by British far-right thugs and conservative elements to attack a hotel housing asylum seekers in Essex County, UK, indicate that the monstrous phenomenon of ultra-nationalism is not likely to abate anytime soon. The protesters, influenced by far-right and conservative ideologies, intruded into the hotel and also beat up an asylum seeker, in addition to brazenly challenging police authority and, in some cases, attacking police vehicles. At least eight police officers sustained injuries while trying to control the protesters.
The incident has sent a shiver down the spines of many immigrants, especially asylum seekers, who have fled their countries in search of protection in the UK. This is not the first time the Far Right has unleashed a reign of terror, stoking fear among communities. Just a few weeks ago, members of ultranationalist groups and reactionary elements demonstrated their street power in Ireland by protesting against asylum seekers.
This incident was sparked by social media posts claiming that an asylum seeker had sexually assaulted some local British girls. The accused, reportedly from Ethiopia, denied the charges when he appeared in a local court. Police conducted raids and arrested those involved in attacking law enforcement and vandalising police vehicles.
Far-Right activists were not only active in the local county but also seized the opportunity to spread their ideology of hate on social media, which has been significantly influencing not only young people but older Britons as well. A number of older individuals were also present at the protest outside the hotel, venting their anger against immigration.
The rise of the Far Right does not seem to be abating after last year’s attack in the Southport area of the country, where a 17-year-old British citizen of African origin attacked a music school, killing three young girls – Bebe King, six; Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven; and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar. The attack, which took place at a Taylor Swift-themed event, also left eight other children and two adults injured. It triggered protests in several parts of the country, with some protesters attacking Muslim properties and homes in the affected region.
Far-Right activists exploited the tragic event by claiming that the attacker was a Muslim asylum seeker who had recently entered the country, forcing the government to reveal the attacker’s identity to ward off unrest and speculation. Despite the revelation, the anger did not subside easily. Anti-immigrant hate-mongers continued their harmful propaganda against immigration and asylum seekers.
In the aftermath of the Southport incident, the government took strict measures, quickly arresting those involved in rioting and attacking immigrants’ properties and homes. The court dispensed justice with notable alacrity, handing down sentences to those who had challenged the authority of the state. Tommy Robinson, an icon of the British Far Right, was also arrested in a previous case after this incident.
This government response sent a strong message that the state would not tolerate hate-mongering. However, the recent incident suggests that Far-Right thugs are determined to show they remain undeterred. The audacious attacks on police vans and officers clearly indicate that they have been emboldened by the tide of anti-immigration sentiment that has swept parts of the country for over two years. Critics claim the government, after an initially strong response, is now feeling the heat of public opinion, which is widely believed to be anti-immigrant and, in some cases, anti-Muslim.
Many believe that outright lies, distortions of fact, xenophobia and misrepresentation of reality are fueling anti-immigrant hate. They argue that conservative elements and far-right activists everywhere resort to such falsehoods to gain political mileage. For instance, Donald Trump publicly accused Haitian immigrants of eating cats and had the audacity to repeat this lie to the media. Unfortunately, none of his supporters questioned the veracity of this claim. On the contrary, he was elected to power with a substantial number of votes.
The British Far Right follows a similar playbook: distorting facts, exploiting incidents and misrepresenting reality. Take, for example, the surge in sexual crimes during 2024, with over 70,000 cases making headlines. In most of these cases, the accused were known to the victims, and the vast majority of the accused were white British or white Europeans. Yet Muslims and immigrants have been singled out for such abhorrent crimes.
Far-right supporters and conservatives also exaggerate the financial resources spent by the government on asylum seekers and immigrants. They claim that the government may spend more than GBP15 billion over the decade on immigration and asylum. It is believed that the government currently spends around GBP2 billion a year, with the largest chunk going to hotel owners, real estate companies, transport providers, or catering outlets – the majority of which are owned by white Britons. While they make much noise over this GBP2 billion figure, they remain completely silent about the GBP57 billion defence budget, which is likely to increase substantially in the coming years due to Nato’s rising expenses.
If this budget were substantially slashed, it could play a crucial role in significantly reducing waiting queues at British hospitals, as well as improving public infrastructure. But not a single Far-Right activist wants to talk about this mammoth budget, which largely benefits arms manufacturing companies and indirectly fuels conflicts in various parts of the world by supplying weapons to belligerent states or groups. No one dares to ask why the country needs such a huge budget decades after the demise of the Soviet Union and the dismantling of the Warsaw Pact. Nobody questions whether the UK needs more hospitals, schools, libraries and facilities for the elderly and pensioners – or Tridents, which not only drain resources but also pose enormous ecological challenges to the country.
The Far Right has also been propagating misinformation about housing, claiming that most council homes have been occupied by immigrants, thereby worsening the housing crisis. But the reality is that the Conservatives drastically reduced funding for social housing, with some estimates suggesting that the pro-business party slashed budgets for affordable housing by over 60 per cent. In addition to that, one per cent of the elite in England owns over 50 per cent of the country’s land.
It is a known fact that 25,000 landowners, typically members of the aristocracy and corporations, control half of the country. This was revealed in 2019 through research and is widely known in the UK. One British company owns around 11,000 rental properties, while a British bank is said to own 4,000 homes. The aristocracy and gentry still own around 30 per cent of England. Corporations – some based overseas or in offshore jurisdictions – own about 18 per cent, while a handful of newly wealthy industrialists, oligarchs and city bankers own around 17 per cent. Ordinary citizens own only 5.0 per cent of homes or land.
Despite all this, you would hardly hear anything about it in Far-Right ranting or propaganda.
So it is clear that, from crimes to housing, and military budgets to expenses on immigrants, the Far Right invents stories and spreads them widely, basing their claims on lies, distortions and misrepresentation.
The writer is a freelance journalist who can be reached at:
egalitarianism444gmail.com