Great Britain puts an end to the far right | A confluence of government, justice, police, anti-fascist activists and civil society

From London

An attempt by the English far-right to extend protests and excesses this week failed at the hands of an unexpected confluence of government, justice, police, anti-racism protesters and civil society. extreme right It published the addresses of 31 sites linked to immigrants in the UK – shelters, law firms, sympathizers – who are being harassed and assaulted in various parts of the country.

A war-like atmosphere prevailed in these places on Wednesday, preventing incidents and directly threatening people, but beyond a few small and isolated altercations, businesses were on board. The day passed peacefully. By this Thursday, businesses and streets were back to normal, with places vandalized during a week of protests being cleaned up and cleaned up by neighbors. Besides Thousands of Britons took part in anti-racism protests this Saturday in response to last week’s riots. One of the most important was in Belfast, Northern Ireland, which brought together about 5,000 people.

Emergency

Despite this success, at the third meeting of COBRA, the government’s special arm to deal with national emergencies – the Prime Minister Keir Starmer He told ministers and police chiefs to keep the state on high alert regardless of the successes achieved so far. This Saturday’s start to English football’s equivalent of the second division is the first litmus test of the restored calm. In Telegram, groups of thugs from various ranks made a “patriotic” call to end the differences of different “organizations” (brave groups of each team) to protect Europe and its original citizens.

A sign that the war is not over. At the same time, for the first time since the events began on Tuesday, July 30, the far right is on the defensive, waiting for the right conditions to return to the streets and media.

It’s not a miracle

As other historical events in other latitudes seem to fall into oblivion or the chaos of social networks or trolls, this restored peace is nothing short of a miracle. The reaction of the Labor government, the justice system and the police marked a radical change from the cooperation of the previous government. This week’s protests have not been in vain, with protesters often repeating slogans from the Conservative governments of Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.

Prime Minister on Monday Starmer said the full weight of the law would be used “on the streets and online” against those responsible for these crimes. This is not one of those statements that go with the wind. On Wednesday, the first three cases of more than 400 prisoners were sentenced for the incidents. Derek Drummond, 58, who attacked a police officer in Southport, received three years in prison, while The Beatles Liverpool’s Decline Keiran, 29, and Liam Riley, 41, were jailed for 30 and 20 months respectively. .

So far this week Of the more than 400 inmates, 100 have been formally charged and are awaiting a final court verdict. The majority have been arrested, some who have pleaded guilty have been released on conditional release: all are scheduled to appear again on August 20 as a judicial mega-event. Of these, 20 minors under the age of 17 have excessive charges. A 15-year-old boy identified through pictures he uploaded on TikTok pleaded guilty at a Liverpool court on Thursday.

Terrorism

Attorney General on Thursday Stephen ParkinsonHe warned that many crimes in the hands of justice could fall under acts of terrorism, affecting not only those who took to the streets to commit encroachments, but also those who used their position to encourage them from networks. Those who exercise authority. The founder of the “English Defense Society” was very important. Tommy RobinsonHe is “on holiday” in Cyprus and there is a warrant out for his arrest after he failed to appear in court on Monday.

This Friday saw the first conviction for inciting violence on social media. Leanne Hoggson, 43, from Sunderland, was jailed for two-and-a-half years for inciting hatred on social media. His contemporaries, Andrew Smith, 41, got two years and two months and Josh Kellett, 29, got two-and-a-half years for similar offenses on the networks.

Added to this official policy Counter marches at 31 sites and elsewhere coordinated by anti-racist organizations with broad participation from affected communities. In Brighton, in the south of the country, hundreds of people gathered at a shelter for asylum seekers surrounded a dozen far-right protesters, who had to be protected by a police cordon to avoid incidents.

Mayor of London, Sadiq KhanHe thanked everyone who demonstrated peacefully “to show that we are united against racism and Islamophobia”. More than 100 people arrested in London in the previous days are marching through the courts.

stimulus

This was followed by the violent emergence of the far right Three girls were murdered on Monday 29th This took the country and the government by surprise. The accused was a 17-year-old Welshman of mental disorder. Axel Muganwa RudakubanaThe son of Rwandan immigrants, but three hours after the events, the fuse that ignited the barbarism was already spreading on the networks with the help of artificial intelligence images: a photo of the alleged perpetrator who had the typical features of a Muslim – tunic, beard, taqia, regular hat – first and last name: Ali Al – Shakati.

The disinformation sparked protests the next day, culminating in over 35 protests across the UK and Northern Ireland’s capital, Belfast, over the weekend. The majority did not exceed 100, but their penchant for violence and mayhem ended Police stations, patrol vehicles, cars and hostels were torchedGuarantees maximum national and global media visibility.

The government is determined to break this link between social media and violence. This Thursday, Stuart Burns, 41, was originally charged with posting content that encouraged violence against police and public disorder. There were already mentioned punishments on Friday. The answer is consistent. A Labor councilor in London was arrested because during an anti-apartheid demonstration he called for the “beheadings of all disgusting Nazi fascists”, punctuated by the classic gesture of crossing the neck to symbolize decapitation. It would be interesting to compare what happened in Argentina with those responsible for death bags, gallows and other symbols of death).

Elon Musk and the Falklands

Owner Elon MuskHe engaged in direct debate with Starmer, which earned him widespread condemnation from the judiciary, the police, the ruling party and the opposition. media.

Owner and supporter of X Javier M Intervened early in the crisis. By the end of the week he said the country was headed for civil war. Starmer responded that crimes are committed on social networks by inciting violence. Musk responded that the government and police were double-standardizing the far-right and Muslim protests.

Not satisfied, Musk shared the information on Thursday, allegedly from the right-wing morning newspaper X Daily TelegraphStarmer planned accordingly “Create Emergency Detention Camps for Far-Right Extremists in Malvinas Islands.” He himself Daily Telegraph He denied publishing the note, pointing out it was a montage.

The Conservatives, who contributed to the climate of this era with Brexit and inflammatory anti-immigration and racist rhetoric, nevertheless approved the online protection law that comes into effect next year. The law requires sites to take strong action against all illegal content and activity, including incitement to violence.

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The Mayor of London expressed himself in the same fashion. “It is not enough, it is not effective to fight this phenomenon. The chaos we experienced came from misinformation spread across networks about the killings and who was responsible. The way algorithms work means they can spread information very quickly. The government should reform this law,” Khan said. .

With a parliamentary majority of 171 MPs, Labor can make an exemplary change globally on an issue that disrupts political and social life. It remains to be seen how far their political ambition goes. The enemy is the far right, but it’s the networks and their emperor, Elon Musk.