The UK’s Race Riots: Phase One of a Longer-Term Strategy of Far-Right Destabilisation

Paul Mason documents the wave of unrest the country experienced this summer. While it may have seemed spontaneous, he explains why those following extremist networks were unsurprised

This edited version of Paul Mason’s Conflict & Democracy Substack is published in September print edition of Byline Times: Who Lit the Fuse?

What the UK experienced in recent weeks was a planned far-right insurrection against the new Labour Government, encouraged by the US far-right and its media channels, signal-boosted by X owner Elon Musk, and manipulated by Russian hybrid warfare.

The instigation of riots was only the first phase of a longer-term strategy of destabilisation.

In their wake, much of the established media asked where the riots came from. For those of us who study the networked far-right, we recognised all too well the dynamics at play – and the ideology driving these events.

To understand what happened, we must identify several broad categories of key agents, spanning both fascism and right-wing populism, and consider how they typically interact; and then pinpoint the timeline of events that unfolded around the Southport killings of 29 July.

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The Key Actors

Fascist Organisations

These include Patriotic Alternative, Britain First, the Homeland Party, and networks associated with the former English Defence League (EDL) Leader, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (‘Tommy Robinson’). They are violently racist and misogynist groups dedicated to the overthrow or collapse of democracy. They are legal entities, though some of their prominent members and leaders have records for political violence. Many are proscribed UK and international far-right terrorist groups, with the remnants of National Action and its aliases scattered among the legal fascist groups.

Far-Right Influencers

These include Tommy Robinson, Daniel Thomas (‘Danny Tommo’), James Goddard, David Clews, some anonymous proxy social media accounts, and allied ‘alt-media’ video channels. As this is a networked movement, these influencers have far more impact than the leadership of the small hierarchical parties. High-profile figures can accelerate disinformation and incitement, including in real time by live streaming, and will use both public (X, Gab, Rumble) and encrypted channels (Discord, Telegram, WhatsApp). Below them, sits a layer of amateur live streamers, constantly competing for attention.

Right-Wing Populist Influencers

These are the public figures allied to right-wing populism, and even Conservatism, some of whom have become radicalised. Some excuse far-right violence or repeat the disinformation and themes that trigger it. Many are regular guests on TalkTV and GB News, but are also often featured on mainstream TV debates.

Reform Politicians

The Reform UK MPs including Leader Nigel Farage, Richard Tice, Lee Anderson, as well as the journalists and writers closely associated with them.

The Mainstream Right-Wing Press

The established right-wing media, which has criticised those advocating, sympathising with, or committing violence – but which has relentlessly promoted hostility towards refugees and Muslims, as well as the theory that white people are the victims of a ‘diversity industry’. 

The Conservative Wing

Allied to the right-wing press is the racist and Islamophobic wing of the Conservative Party.

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The Race Riots: A Timeline

With Labour’s victory on 4 July, the far-right lost the only sympathetic Government it has ever had. Combined with signal victories by pro-Gaza Muslim independent candidates in four traditionally Labour constituencies, my hypothesis is that this triggered a mixture of despair and outrage among the far-right base.

Farage’s Reform Party used the post-election period to launch a political offensive against the Labour Government, on a scale not mirrored by the Conservatives, who were in disarray. Via GB News and the Telegraph, Reform politicians and right-wing populist commentators peddled the theme that Labour was about to ‘open’ the UK to asylum seekers.

On the far-right, having advocated a vote for Reform, activists coalesced around the idea of capturing its mass base – and converting some of its voters to a project of direct action.

The reaction of Danny Tommo, a convicted kidnapper who is widely seen as Tommy Robinson’s right-hand man, provided a sense of the fascist strategy on 5 July, the day after Labour’s landslide win in the General Election.

He wrote: “I understand it is a dark day for many in this country, but please believe me when I say that we are heading in the right direction, even though it may not seem that way… We now have the chance to unify and offer unwavering support for Reform, as they echo our beliefs and values. The time for action is now for the British public. Let's come together, demonstrate our collective strength, and on the 27th of July at Trafalgar Square, we will revive the spirit of patriotism in our capital and our nation.” 

This was a clearly enunciated strategy – and from the top: the far-right street activists and social media influencers would become Reform’s foot-soldiers, adopting a policy of ‘action now’, with Tommy Robinson’s scheduled 27 July rally in London’s Trafalgar Square, and subsequent planned court appearance, as the immediate focal point of agitation.

But as they worked towards the 27 July demo, the fascist influencers were aided by a series of accidental events that they seized on to fuel the atmosphere of despair and expectation of a coming ‘storm’ – to make alleged refugee and Muslim crime an inflammatory issue. 

18 July 2024

A riot took place in Harehills, Leeds, after Roma people resisted police aiding social services to remove children from a family. Green Party Councillor Mothin Ali – who had enraged Islamophobes by shouting “allahu akhbar” when he defeated Labour in May’s local elections – was filmed trying to calm the rioters. Nigel Farage tweeted that the riot was the result of “the politics of the subcontinent… playing out on the streets of Leeds”, implying that it was the fault of Pakistani Muslims. Tommy Robinson tweeted pictures of Councillor Ali implying that he had joined the riot. Paul Golding, Leader of Britain First, did the same.

19 July 2024

Violence broke out in Whitechapel, London, between rival Bangladeshi groups, triggered by the political conflict in Bangladesh. Police deployed riot shields to separate the two groups. Far-right accounts again claimed that this was an example of ‘two-tier policing’, whereby white ‘protestors’ are policed in a more heavy-handed manner compared to ethnic minority groups.

21 July 2024

A small racist demo was held in Coldcotes Circus, Leeds, with far-right media channel Urban Scoop in attendance. The mobilising issue was the allegation that police had failed to stop or arrest Harehills rioters as a result of ‘two-tier policing’.

22 July 2024

In publicising the rally in Trafalgar Square on 27 July, Danny Tommo tweeted that “influential right-wing speakers such as Laurence Fox, Calvin Robinson, and Mahyar Tousi” would be attending – “some of whom have direct ties to Nigel Farage and Reform UK. This coalition is crucial for the future of our nation”. This fed the narrative that the 27 July event would be the springboard for a Reform/far-right alliance. Robinson tweeted that, at Trafalgar Square, “we deliver our first blow. If not now, when?”

23 July 2024

A soldier was stabbed and badly injured in Kent. The alleged perpetrator was “taken into custody for his own safety and that of the public”, with police ruling out terrorism. But far-right networks suggested a terrorism motive and that a “mental illness defence” was being used to cover up the truth about “two-tier policing”. That night, a widely reported incident at Manchester Airport took place, of which an initial video showed police kicking a Muslim man who was already on the ground. This first, incomplete footage, inflamed Muslim opinion against the police, provoking demonstrations against it in Greater Manchester. Danny Tommo reposted Nigel Farage’s maiden speech in Parliament, continuing his attempt to align the street movement with Reform.

24 July 2024

More footage from the Manchester Airport incident emerged, showing a prior attack on the police officers themselves. This added momentum to the ‘two-tier policing’ narrative spreading on the right.

27 July 2024

As many as 30,000 far-right activists and sympathisers staged a march from London’s Royal Courts of Justice to Trafalgar Square in solidarity with Tommy Robinson, who was scheduled to appear in court for contempt on 29 July. They then heard speeches and watched a screening of his libellous film (which his court appearance was related to) from a podium. This was the biggest far-right mobilisation for years, and attracted groups from across the UK. It is likely that its confidence-boosting effects on those attending, and on their online periphery, boosted their appetite for violence when the call came. Danny Tommo addressed the crowd and told those attending that Robinson was facing prison: “If they take him from us, we will make sure we get him back and back within a week. What we do today is for the children.” Thus, regardless of what later happened in Southport, the 30,000 far-right active participants in Trafalgar Square on 27 July were primed for nationwide protest over Robinson’s expected arrest. They had a catalogue of ‘two-tier policing’ grievances to play on.

28 July 2024

Tommy Robinson fled the country to avoid his court appearance. He was arrested at the border. He claimed he had been arrested for organising the demo, but police made it clear that he was arrested for his failure to comply with a request under counter-terror legislation. He was released and travelled to Cyprus.

29 July 2024

A horrific attack resulted in the killing of three children, and many injured, in Southport. A well-documented online disinformation campaign spread the rumour that the suspect was a Muslim refugee, with a false name invented and circulated on Elon Musk’s platform X (formerly Twitter). The alleged suspect is a British-born Christian of Rwandan origin. Danny Tommo published a now deleted video in response to the stabbings in which he declared: “Every city has to go up... We’re ready to go. We are, literally, ready to go. Just get ready.”

30 July 2024

Danny Tommo made a second video calling for an “angry response” everywhere, and for people to gather in Whitehall at 7pm the next day. He said he would like to go to Southport that night because something was happening there. Following a vigil for the victims, a riot broke out in Southport, with rioters attacking both the police and a mosque. Several right-wing populist influencers made comments excusing the violence. Laurence Fox advertised Danny Tommo’s demo in Whitehall.

31 July 2024

Riots took place in Aldershot, London’s Whitehall, Hartlepool, and Manchester. Some 111 people were arrested in the London incident, where Danny Tommo played a leading role in the mobilisation. In Hartlepool, a police van was set alight, and running battles with riot police took place. Prior to this, Reform MP Lee Anderson tweeted that a hotel in his Ashfield constituency was allegedly accommodating refugees. He removed the post after it was revealed that those arriving there were foreign health workers taking a holiday.

2 August 2024

At 6:41pm, Tommy Robinson, now in Cyprus, posted a list of venues where far-right protests were to assemble, that night and the next day. The post was seen by 11 million people. The protest that took place in Sunderland turned into a serious riot. 

4 August 2024

Widespread rioting took place at many of the ‘protests’ Robinson had advertised.

We are not simply dealing here with incitement to racial hatred, but a pattern of incitement to riot, combined with ‘advice’ on where to go, who to target, how to shape the optics, and calls for ‘discipline’ as cover.

At any moment, once the Southport and Sunderland events turned into serious racist rioting, the far-right influencers could have warned their followers not to attend. Instead, they advertised the times and locations and spouted hatred against the target groups.

The effect of the rioting – in particular, the attacks on mosques, family homes, hotels, and individual people of colour – was to terrorise the UK’s ethnic minority population. 

It also functioned as what fascism scholars call “symbolic violence” – a demonstration of what to do on the day the ‘ethnic civil war’ they desire starts for real.

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Paul Mason is the author of How To Stop Fascism: History, Ideology, Resistance. This article was first published on his ‘Conflict & Democracy’ Substack