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Full blown fascist riots in the UK, lynch mobs in the street in most major cities. (www.independent.co.uk)
submitted 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) by MaoTheLawn@hexbear.net to c/news@hexbear.net
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Full on roaming EDL gangs. Pretty insane stuff. This article doesn't do it justice. Most of the footage I've seen has been on Instagram.

The craziest part is they started in response to a misogynist terror attack in Southport. The suspect of the terror attack was Welsh born, with parents from Rwanda, and is most likely Christian. So naturally they started lynching Muslims.

EDIT: This next part is dubious.

Apparently before it all kicked off there was a russian clickfarm that posted a fake article calling the suspect 'Ali Muhammad' or some sort of very stereotypical islamic name, before all the real information had come out.

I mean, not that you can really blame it all on that. It was just a fuse waiting to be lit.

More accurately investigated here: https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2024-08-02/did-russian-disinformation-fuel-the-southport-protests/

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[–] Awoo@hexbear.net 97 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Apparently before it all kicked off there was a russian clickfarm that posted a fake article calling the suspect 'Ali Muhammad' or some sort of very stereotypical islamic name, before all the real information had come out.

It's not Russia. This is libshit misdirection.

Tommy Robinson and his goons are taking money from Israel. This is happening because Britain is majority pro-palestine and Israel sees British muslims as responsible for that.

[–] MaoTheLawn@hexbear.net 48 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Yeah, it's obviously not state directed or affiliated. I was skeptical of the claims, but I just assumed it was general clickfarmery for money like most other 'russian disinfo' stories.

Turns out that's also dubious. https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2024-08-02/did-russian-disinformation-fuel-the-southport-protests/

Never knew that about Tommy though. Fucking nuts.

[–] belligerentkitten@hexbear.net 84 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (5 children)

I lived in the UK for years. I went to oppose fascist marches many times. It was violent, like seriously fucking dangerous. I have been hurt. I hurt fash. I wore a fucking helmet and they threw rocks and bottles at us, my helmet was hit and fucking saved my life. After the marches the fash would break up into smaller groups to roam the streets and attack minorities. We did our best to protect people. I'm not saying this to look cool. Truth was I was scared out of my mind and I don't know if I can ever go back to that kind of thing. I'm saying it because I absolutely believe that what is going on now must be like that, but so much worse. That place has only gotten worse in the 4 years since I left.

This has been brewing for literal decades at this point. There was a contingent of anti-europe people in the conservative party, way back before brexit. they were a small voice calling for it. but even then, more subtly, they had been putting their fingers into the culture and brewing anti-immigrant, anti-muslim, and anti-EU sentiment. When this group got loud enough to threaten the integrity of the conservative party, Pigfucker David Cameron called the brexit referendum, expecting it to fail, as a way to shut up the rightwing of the party. But instead that proved to be the catalyst for the fascist sentiments in the UK to be brought into the mainstream. This was when the tactics I associate with fascism truly started to feel like they were integrated into british society. Facts stopped mattering to people. Hate crime went up. Hell I got violently attacked.

As far as I know, there was some russian influence on Brexit. I don't mean that russia caused this current situation - absolutely not, they only have the utter disaster of the past few decades to blame. They utterly failed to contain the rise of fascism. But I believe a nuanced and fact-based take is that Russia thought that Brexit would be politically useful to them, and used social media to support that. It probably would have happened anyway, the force from this didn't come from russia but from some scheming british fascists.

This has been waiting to happen for fucking years.

I also wanna say that I'm not saying the EU is a good thing. It's an inherently white supremacist institution "protecting" fortress europe against the desperate people at the borders. But the way british culture and politics work, and indeed this is true of a bunch of countries' far right, opposing EU membership was a predominantly fascist position, and considering everything that has happened in that hellhole of a country since brexit, i do think it would be better if it had never left.

edit: thank u to those who have thanked me for what i used to do. but i was just doing my job as a human being, among many others, resisting people who have forgotten their humanity. maybe one day i will be able to, or have to, do it again.

[–] SuperNovaCouchGuy2@hexbear.net 20 points 3 months ago

Thank you for your service.

[–] SacredExcrement@hexbear.net 17 points 3 months ago

Braver than any fuckin western troop 07

[–] Beetle_O_Rourke@hexbear.net 15 points 3 months ago

Thank you for your service rat-salute-2

[–] FearsomeJoeandmac@hexbear.net 9 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Isn't british culture pretty exceptionalist. "We british have been isolated on this island, we've developed into superior beings than the continental European, we don't need them"

By british they almost certainly mean only white englishmen, welshman and Scotsman etc.

[–] bumpusoot@hexbear.net 7 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Typically they just mean white englishmen and nobody else. Scot and Welsh attitudes are typically far more international and less supremacist.

[–] FearsomeJoeandmac@hexbear.net 7 points 3 months ago (1 children)

There's something to be said about the lowland scots and imperialism In the 19th century, but it seems they've turned their back on that and become oppressed by the english themselves.

Wales also participated in the empire, not as much as lowland scots, but they did.

[–] bumpusoot@hexbear.net 4 points 3 months ago

For sure, but attitudes have certainly changed since then.

[–] infuziSporg@hexbear.net 4 points 3 months ago

On the map of where these riots happened, none of them were in Wales or Scotland. And only one was in NI.

[–] belligerentkitten@hexbear.net 4 points 3 months ago

yes, that is v true and accurate

[–] ButtBidet@hexbear.net 79 points 3 months ago (2 children)

I'm here to point out that mainstream social media (FB, IG, Twitter) stopped filtering out most Islamophobia long ago. Boris Johnson openly spouted Islamophobia while the capitalist press obsessed over Corbyn's not saying anything anti-semetic ever. Capital allowed and probably wanted this shit to happen for a long time.

[–] MaoTheLawn@hexbear.net 45 points 3 months ago

For sure. They did an islamophobia report on the Tories at the same time as Corbyn's on antisemitism and to no surprise at all the Tory islamophobia incidents outnumbered labour antisemitism by a long way.

[–] Barabas@hexbear.net 39 points 3 months ago

We — non-Muslims — cannot solve the problem; we cannot brainwash them out of their fundamentalist beliefs. The Islamicists last week horribly and irrefutably asserted the supreme importance of that faith, overriding all worldly considerations, and it will take a huge effort of courage and skill to win round the many thousands of British Muslims who are in a similar state of alienation, and to make them see that their faith must be compatible with British values and with loyalty to Britain. That means disposing of the first taboo, and accepting that the problem is Islam. Islam is the problem.

To any non-Muslim reader of the Koran, Islamophobia — fear of Islam — seems a natural reaction, and, indeed, exactly what that text is intended to provoke. Judged purely on its scripture — to say nothing of what is preached in the mosques — it is the most viciously sectarian of all religions in its heartlessness towards unbelievers. As the killer of Theo Van Gogh told his victim’s mother this week in a Dutch courtroom, he could not care for her, could not sympathise, because she was not a Muslim.

The trouble with this disgusting arrogance and condescension is that it is widely supported in Koranic texts, and we look in vain for the enlightened Islamic teachers and preachers who will begin the process of reform. What is going on in these mosques and madrasas? When is someone going to get 18th century on Islam’s mediaeval ass?

Johnson following the London bombings in 2005. Still able to go on to become a "loveable goof" that was rehabilitated and became party leader.

[–] WittyProfileName2@hexbear.net 63 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Locals pushed 'em out in Cardiff, so the police waited until they fled and arrested the antifascists.

[–] PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmygrad.ml 60 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Of fucking course they will blame "Russian disinformation" instead of centuries of rampant racism in UK. Also i'm hoping you didn't spend last 2,5 year under a rock and noticed that "Russian disinformation" is the current western explanation for literally everything bad happening, it's on the level of "devil's work" from the past.

[–] Barabas@hexbear.net 53 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Islamophobia has been stoked for a long time now, this was just waiting to happen. Every single party other than the greens were running on a stop the boats platform. Also, compare how British media reports on race riots as compared to peaceful marches against genocide.

I think that Brexit set this off. Not in that the sentiment wasn't there, but before brexit a lot of the agression towards immigrants and minorities were channeled towards the EU as an institution.

[–] PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmygrad.ml 25 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

before brexit a lot of the agression towards immigrants and minorities were channeled towards the EU as an institution.

This is one of the most visible and obvious signs of a fascist society and system, even if current scapegoat disappear, the problems don't but instead of wondering what's really the cause and who and why lied to them about it, they just move to next scapegoat and continue.

[–] FearsomeJoeandmac@hexbear.net 53 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

This seems to be the UK's unite the right tikki torch moment.

Has anyone been killed yet? I know people have been beaten up and mosques burned down.

[–] MaoTheLawn@hexbear.net 44 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (2 children)

No reported deaths, no.

I don't remember the details of Charlottesville precisely other than the car ramming and general nazi chanting, but I think this one has a different profile. Unite The Right was a large organised protest, with partakers ranging from full blown Nazis to regular right wing 'beautiful boater' types.

The EDL really has a small active presence in comparison. These protests are hardly protests at all, they're more like violent mobs going out of their way to smash shit up. If you look at some of the footage, some of these gangs are of about 15 people who go out and attack the first Muslim guy they see who doesn't get out of their way. There's one video in Newcastle of a gang of entirely children doing it. (Under 16ish) There's another where they suddenly appear in a city centre and turf up a Muslim guys stall. They're violent gatherings more similar to football hooligan gangs of the 90s (with a lot of crossover, I imagine), than a truly political cause.

The closest thing they've had to an organised march was the big one in London with Tommy Robinson the other week against Palestine and trans marches, or the violent protest yesterday outside a (Rotherham?) immigration centre.

These EDL folks - for the most part it's not like they protested and then kettled by the police and then started lashing out, it's that they started throwing rocks and lynching people and then eventually dispersed or got pinned down and carried on fighting to the end. There's not much marching in a line, it's more like a horde. More of a pogrom than a protest.

[–] FearsomeJoeandmac@hexbear.net 37 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

So basically just roving gangs of violent young and middle aged thugs looking to beat up and harm anyone who the perceive to be Arab or Muslim?

Like they'd be burning these people to death Salem witches trials esque if they could get away with it?

[–] MaoTheLawn@hexbear.net 29 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Pretty much, yeah. There's a video where they run up on a guy's car and try to drag him out of, while people saying 'kill him' can be heard. They dragged him out of the car and beat him, but I think he got away in the end.

I saw some reports of a minor stabbing too but the algorithm is making it hard to find.

[–] MolotovHalfEmpty@hexbear.net 21 points 3 months ago

There's definitely some organisation to this too, although a lot of this seems to be whipped up through online racist chats etc. Patriotic Alternative who have been very active in the anti-refugee and anti-LGBTQ+ drag show 'protests' and violence have been involved in organising some of the bigger ones. There was a 'blood and honour' gig planned in Sunderland when it kicked off etc. From talking to comrades I get the sense that some of it is impromptu rioting from racist WhatsApp groups etc, but the bigger actions are more organised, even if they leave most of the rioting at night to the youths etc.

[–] Grandpa_garbagio@hexbear.net 6 points 3 months ago

Really fucking lucky they don't have guns in any real quantity there

[–] Flyberius@hexbear.net 51 points 3 months ago (1 children)

The attacker was born in Wales. The parents were from Rwanda. That's what is even worse.

[–] MaoTheLawn@hexbear.net 31 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Edited. Thanks.

Yeah it's so sad to see, especially when you see his Children in Need appearance. Clearly a sweet kid caught up by the pressures of deprivation and online radicalisation.

[–] FearsomeJoeandmac@hexbear.net 32 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

I've seen the far right response to this. They'll say it's blood and not his birth certificate or passport that makes him british. They make memes about this shit.

My father is of mostly old stock british ancestry (his family has been in the US since before the revolutionary war). To these wierd chuds I'd be more british than the attacker even though he was born in britain and my family has been in the US for over 300 years.

[–] PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmygrad.ml 14 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

In Poland they call this "genetic patriotism" (to preemptively exclude not only PoC but also every Pole they don't like) to be observed for at least 4 generations back, but of course the guy who coined and proudly used this term didn't even had that genetic patriotism reaching to himself because his mother was a German and the language used in his his home was also German, they just rapidly changed political and national identity in a time strangely coinciding with utter defeat of Germany in WW2.

And it works the same, polish-american chud not speaking word in Polish but voting for PiS is more Polish than even a normal liberal.

[–] ThomasMuentzner@hexbear.net 49 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Apparently before it all kicked off there was a russian clickfarm that posted a fake article calling the suspect 'Ali Muhammad' or some sort of very stereotypical islamic name, before all the real information had come out.

why do you repeat this without questioning

.. this is a Zionist doing... obviously your establishment will do the "russia" routine .. they will forever and ever do the "russia rountine" .. dont repeat it. Russia does not have the Media power that it enemies claim it has. Zionism does

[–] MaoTheLawn@hexbear.net 15 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Yeah, it's obviously not state directed or affiliated. I was skeptical of the claims, but I just assumed it was general clickfarmery for money like most other 'russian disinfo' stories. I know russian disinfo for actual political sake is very minimal.

Turns out that's also dubious. https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2024-08-02/did-russian-disinformation-fuel-the-southport-protests/

Never knew that about Tommy though. That's fucking insane.

[–] ButtBidet@hexbear.net 36 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Chief Constable BJ Harrington

Sorry I'm not taking him seriously.

[–] FourteenEyes@hexbear.net 32 points 3 months ago

Righto, Inspector Gaylord Buttefuccke will take over this interview

[–] SuperNovaCouchGuy2@hexbear.net 16 points 3 months ago

BJ Harrington

Aniki... is that you?!?!?!

[–] Andrzej@lemmy.myserv.one 20 points 3 months ago (1 children)

This government is 100% going to crack down very hard on the mob (including antifa, just wait and see) while implicitly agreeing with everything the fash are saying. I'm sure that won't make matters any worse!

[–] Tabitha@hexbear.net 14 points 3 months ago

including antifa

probably mostly antifa lol