Britain’s Riots Are Designed to Terrorize Muslims
For years, the far right has benefited from a growing rot in British politics, as politicians and the media promote Islamophobia. Now the establishment refuses to confront these riots for what they are: domestic terrorism by white supremacists.
Far-right rioters on August 2, 2024, in Sunderland, England. (Drik / Getty Images)
Last year, shortly after securing my academic position at King’s College London, I faced a concerted effort by certain Home Office advisers to get me dismissed. They wanted me ousted due to my outspoken opposition to the “Rwanda plan,” which would deport Britain’s rejected asylum seekers to that country regardless of their place of origin. During a lecture to postgraduate students, I described the policy as “cruel, evil, and illegal,” warning that the government’s actions would likely fuel racism and Islamophobia in Britain.
For years, the Home Office has served as a platform for ultraconservative figures to push policies against vulnerable groups and asylum seekers, marked by Islamophobia and a strong commitment to punishing dissent. Activists and researchers have long warned of the potential consequences of such rhetoric — and emphasized the importance of hateful language.
The architect of the Rwanda plan, Tory Home Secretary Suella Braverman, was fired in November for criticizing the police as “too lenient” on pro-Palestinian protesters. She repeatedly labeled the protests as hate marches, in a monthslong crusade against Palestine. Yet Braverman’s eventual sacking — in response to a series of articles she had published in the Telegraph — proved merely a communications gambit.
The Tories continued to intensify the stance on deportations that she had advanced. But the lines between the two parties also became blurred. Keir Starmer’s Labour Party followed suit with the Tories, adopting alarmist rhetoric on migration, scapegoating Bangladeshi people, and even implying the possibility of collaboration with European far-right leaders.
Their persistent dog-whistling has blinded these parties to the escalating damage that has been done. Now, Britain is engulfed in a coordinated assault on its democracy. The crisis now faced is the direct outcome of long-standing establishment actions — worsened by a perilous digital landscape that harbors the far-right architects of the current riots.
Democracy Rots
The ongoing normalization of far-right ideologies culminated in last week’s events. Libraries and a Citizens Advice office were torched, properties were destroyed, and people of color were attacked. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Starmer issued ambiguous warnings, refusing to acknowledge the riots’ intention to terrorize Muslims and other vulnerable communities.
Yet, Starmer has ample reason to be disturbed, especially given the incendiary remarks from members of his own party. Faced with protests about the use of the Tamworth Holiday Inn for migrant housing, local Labour MP Sarah Edwards told Parliament that residents “just want their hotel back.” Days later, far-right rioters set the building ablaze. Likewise, Aldershot MP Alex Baker and the new home secretary, Yvette Cooper, have resorted to tepid, neutral language — avoiding a definitive stance on the riots and offering little in the way of reassurance to black and Muslim constituents.
Still, this pales in comparison to the actions of Nigel Farage. He has openly encouraged those taking to the streets: he has explained that the way to stop the violence is to “end mass immigration,” blamed Black Lives Matter, and spread conspiracy theories like claims of “two-tier policing” that favors ethnic minorities. Similarly, the Tories, after years of dog-whistling, now hypocritically attack Starmer for ineffective policing. Meanwhile, MPs who labeled Palestine protests as “hate marches” have remained conspicuously silent, displaying no intention of condemning the violence they helped to instigate in recent weeks.
We are witnessing a state in chaos, unable to heal its wounds, protect vulnerable groups without policymaking power, or resist manipulation by the most malignant elements infiltrating British politics. This extends to journalistic circles, think tanks, and street groups that have long fueled Islamophobia. For years, Tommy Robinson and his fanbase — along with groups like National Action — have played a crucial role in inciting violence. This is a brazen attack on democratic norms. Yet it seems that a debate on the resilience of British democracy remains taboo.
Effectively identifying and labeling some of these groups has long been a challenge. The Reform UK party, for instance, has pushed back against basic journalistic standards by threatening lawsuits against anyone labeling them far right. This deliberate strategy aims to mask their true ideology, dodge media scrutiny, and wait for the perfect moment to incite violent conflict. The recent murders in Southport (falsely blamed on “Muslims”) presented that opportunity.
Parallels With Greece
The UK political system’s failure to effectively address domestic terrorism is not unique in Europe. Rather, it has striking parallels with the decade-long rise of Greece’s Golden Dawn, a neo-Nazi criminal organization, during that country’s economic crisis. Far-right violence against migrants surged shortly after the party secured its first parliamentary seats in June 2012. It quickly resorted to fearmongering over immigration; the political establishment responded by normalizing this rhetoric to avoid potential electoral losses to more extreme right-wing factions.
The rest of the 2010s saw extensive international media coverage of Golden Dawn. This spanned murders of left-wing activists and migrants, pogroms at flea markets, and physical assaults on MPs from the Greek Communist Party. It took a trial lasting nearly seven years before the courts finally ruled that Golden Dawn posed a clear threat to democracy and needed to be stopped — resulting in lengthy sentences for many of its MPs and leaders.
Britain’s unfolding chaos has the potential to reach similar levels of domestic terrorism. The symbolism behind burnt books and Nazi salutes captured across the country indicates an alarming rise in terrorism that has largely gone unnoticed by most political parties. Starmer’s weak response and inability to effectively address this issue provides room for such groups to further organize without serious limitations.
The parallels between Greece and the UK indicate that ineffective counterterrorism measures are likely to escalate violence, now on the brink of spiraling out of control. As these words are written, far-right terrorists are targeting minority-led businesses, migration offices, and doxing individuals working for NGOs and migration-related services.
The government should urgently implement anti-terrorism laws to address this ongoing threat. These laws must also tackle digital organizing and the spread of hate through social media platforms, including Twitter/X, where many far-right groups have found fertile ground to organize and prepare for their marches.
Even Elon Musk, whose ties to fascist elements are now undeniable, has posted unhinged tweets that directly legitimize and incite far-right terrorism. This is blatantly undermining the current measures being planned to quell the riots in the UK. The ongoing situation on the platform reveals that some individuals are fantasizing about civil war–like conditions — and are determined to empower thugs to roam the streets and terrorize minorities.
Conversations with friends and their families in the UK reveal credible threats against asylum seekers in hotels and detention centers, but also Muslims and people perceived as Muslim in general. They are at imminent risk of attack unless proactive measures are taken.
The Role of Journalism
Discussing the riots this Monday on LBC News, I had a highly unsettling interaction with presenter Vanessa Feltz, a TV has-been. Hosting the slot after former presenter Sangita Myska was taken off air, Feltz abruptly ended our interview after spending nearly ten minutes legitimizing the actions of what she called “angry protesters.” She said that they had marched against the hotel out of frustration with the government using taxpayer money to fund expensive accommodation for asylum seekers.
I was not exactly surprised — but the trend observed across various media platforms is surely alarming. In a program on ITV earlier that day, presenter Ed Balls, who is the husband of Home Secretary Cooper, attacked left-wing Labour MP Zarah Sultana after she argued that the riots were driven by Islamophobia and racism. Balls repeatedly interrupted Sultana to deny the relevance of the term “Islamophobia” — attempting to lecture a Muslim woman without any effort to listen or understand the daily fears and struggles faced by marginalized communities, which have been worsened by these far-right riots.
This situation underscores a larger issue: British journalism’s complicity in the rise of violence. Even at critical moments when it is essential to prevent further tensions, many journalists incite far-right terrorism, directly or indirectly, without taking any accountability for the language and tone they have adopted in recent years.
Over the past three years, a surge of Islamophobia, fueled by right-wing station GB News, has exposed the inadequacy of current regulations in curbing the influence of certain journalists who incite violence. GB News has transformed into a hub for far-right trolls, working to legitimize their rhetoric and serving as a nexus for hate speech, conspiracy theories, and the promotion of far-right ideas. GB News presenter and conspiracy theorist Neil Oliver has even argued that the riots are being “orchestrated” as part of a global elite conspiracy to impose Digital ID. Broadcasters’ regulator Ofcom has been conspicuously silent — underscoring the dangers in the current media environment.
What Lies Ahead
The rise of far-right terrorism in the UK is a dire threat that has been brewing for years, exacerbated by political and journalistic complicity. The parallels with Greece’s struggle against the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn illustrate the potential trajectory of unchecked far-right violence. The UK stands at the edge of a catastrophic descent into terrorism that could unravel the fabric of society.
The need for comprehensive anti-terrorism laws against the far right cannot be overstated. These must address both physical and digital threats decisively. The media’s role in fueling far-right ideologies also demands stringent regulation to prevent further incitement. Failure to act now will embolden those groups, deepen societal divisions, and lead to irreversible damage.
The UK must confront this domestic terrorism with unwavering resolve, or risk plunging into chaos and violence without precedent in its recent history. The time for action is now — and it must be ruthless in its defense of democracy and protection of vulnerable communities.