The conditions that sparked last summer's widespread disorder across Britain remain in place and could escalate again under the right circumstances, an anti-fascist organisation has warned. Hope Not Hate described the unrest as the most extensive period of far-right violence in post-war Britain.
Joe Mulhall, the organisation's director of research, said it is a "very, very febrile time" as the underlying "anger, prejudice and misinformation" that fuelled the riots has not disappeared. The disorder erupted in parts of the UK following the Southport murders on July 29, after false rumours spread online claiming the suspect was an asylum seeker who had arrived by boat.
Mosques and hotels targeted
Mosques, community centres and libraries came under attack during the unrest, while hotels housing asylum seekers were also targeted. Dr Mulhall told PA it was "without question the most widespread period of far-right violence, certainly the post-war period and possibly beyond".
He expressed shock at how quickly the events stopped being discussed or were dismissed as "legitimate anger". The researcher described it as a "really seismic historical moment" that "very, very quickly fell off the radar".
Modern far-right networks
The disorder revealed what the modern far-right looks like, according to Dr Mulhall, comprising "vast" online and offline decentralised networks that extend "well beyond" individual organisations. People can now engage in far-right activism without being members of any specific group.
He said the media narrative shifted because it wasn't possible to point to a specific organisation and declare "this fascist group was behind it". The decentralised nature makes far-right activism more complex but "no less far-right".
Nine-year sentences handed down
At the height of the disorder, a fire was started outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Manvers, near Rotherham, South Yorkshire, on August 4. Two men received nine-year prison sentences in connection with the fire, the longest jail terms among hundreds convicted for the countrywide unrest.
During the crisis, Hope Not Hate's team worked around the clock, with "no-one sleeping" as they monitored dozens of events in real time and spoke to sources within far-right circles. They passed intelligence to policy colleagues who contacted potential targets including mosques, accommodation providers and refugee charities.
Traumatic monitoring period
Dr Mulhall described the experience as both empowering and traumatic, with team members spending 11 days "watching really traumatic stuff, people being beaten, people being dragged out their cars". The quick arrests and sentencing of rioters had a "damping effect" on far-right activity in the following months.
He compared the far-right to a volcano, explaining that after an explosion "it takes some time for the magma chamber to rebuild up and the pressure to build before it pops again". The underlying conditions - the "magma chamber" of anger, prejudice and misinformation - remain intact.
Current tensions rising
People remain "furious" and in some cases are "more angry" as Britain moves further into the Labour Government's tenure without economic improvements, Dr Mulhall warned. When trigger events occur, such as the alleged incident in Epping, these conditions mean situations "can escalate very, very quickly".
Multiple demonstrations have taken place outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Epping since July 13, after an asylum seeker was charged with allegedly attempting to kiss a 14-year-old girl. Essex Police reported an "escalation of violence" during protests on July 13, 17, 20 and 24, involving hundreds of people.
Protests spread nationwide
More than a dozen men have been charged with offences ranging from violent disorder to failing to remove face coverings. Protests outside asylum hotels have also been reported in Norwich, Canary Wharf in London, Bournemouth, Portsmouth and Leeds.
While monitoring recent events, Dr Mulhall's team identified 17 planned protests over a 10-day period and expressed concern about weekend demonstrations. However, he stressed "this is not a mass uprising", with combined numbers across the country totalling between 1,000 to 2,000 participants.
Long-term solutions needed
Dr Mulhall acknowledged that "no-one" considers housing asylum seekers in hotels a good solution and highlighted the role of technology and social media in far-right planning and organisation. For lasting change, he advocated for a "genuine social cohesion strategy".
He concluded that people are "much less likely to believe far-right misinformation about people that live in your town if you know them, if you've spent time with them". The warning comes as authorities remain vigilant for potential flashpoints that could reignite widespread disorder.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
