Who is Behind the Riots Targeting Muslims in the UK?

LONDON – Prime Minister English Keir Starmer wants to “stop” the far-right violence spreading across Britain. The question the prime minister must first answer is not how, but who.

With dozens of protests planned for this weekend, efforts to quell the unrest are complicated by the way the far-right has evolved from more formally organised racist outlets, such as the defunct British National Party, into more fragmented, personality-driven splinter groups.

Their ability to spark spontaneous protests — and spread disinformation — has been facilitated by viral online posts and recommendation algorithms on TikTok and X, as well as dedicated Telegram channels.

Who is Behind the Riots Targeting Muslims in

1. Right Wing Extremist Groups

Rather than a single entity that can be banned or sanctioned, police now face an “ambiguous” enemy, says Paul Jackson, professor of the history of radicalism and extremism at the University of Northampton. A “wider network” of disparate groups and figures, who find common ground and whose capacity to organise spontaneously, has been greatly enhanced by social media.

The prime minister this week put social media platforms on notice, warning them that incitement “clearly spread online” was also a crime — and took place on their “premises.”

The riots that began on Tuesday in Southport near Liverpool — following the murder of three young girls — have turned into the most widespread eruption of far-right violence in Britain for years.

Protests have erupted from Hartlepool to Downing Street, with more than 130 people arrested across the country so far.

2. Affiliated with Neo-Nazis

When rioters first attacked a mosque in Southport on Tuesday night, throwing bricks at officers and falsely blaming immigrants and Islam for the mass stabbing of young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class the day before, Merseyside police initially blamed the English Defence League.

There have been calls for the EDL, founded by one of Britain’s most prominent far-right activists, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon — better known as Tommy Robinson. But according to experts, the EDL ceased to exist formally more than a decade ago, although some of Robinson’s followers — including at least one member of the neo-Nazi group Patriotic Alternative — were seen at the riots.

There was already momentum behind the far-right before Monday’s mass stabbings, Jackson said. Tommy Robinson’s followers were buoyed by his rally last Saturday — by far the largest far-right gathering in London in years with 30,000 people attending.

3. Spreading Defamation to Immigrants

More worryingly, Jackson said, the key themes of these far-right activists, particularly their vilification of immigrants, have been amplified in the mainstream, including by members of Rishi Sunak’s previous Conservative government.

“When mainstream politicians say things that are somewhat similar, they give those smaller groups a pass, giving them greater legitimacy and buying power,” Jackson added.

Hours after Monday’s attack in Southport, Nigel Farage, the leader of the anti-immigration Reform party and now a member of parliament, posted a video online suggesting police had withheld information about the stabbing.