The Southport stabbing

Analysis: The far-right threat greater than ever

The far-right movement in England has moved onto social media - where it has become more dangerous than ever. That's what The Guardian's James Tapper writes in an analysis of the riots that followed the crime in Southport.

As the movement has become increasingly decentralized, individual "troublemakers" have become more important in fueling the hatred, writes Tapper. And there the actions of the internet giants play a role, he believes. He highlights how, for example, the far-right Tommy Robinson was ported from Twitter in 2018 - but was released back onto the platform last year when Elon Musk took over as owner.

Sky News' Adam Boulton notes that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised to meet the violence with "the full force of the law". But the riots shine a light on two issues that are more complex for the government to deal with than the violence itself, Boulton believes.

He also points to the external forces that fuel the development of events online. Partly on the basic issue that drives the chaos, the issue of immigration.

"Doing this will be much more difficult than quickly prosecuting the violent protesters."

.......................................

The Russian-linked side fueled the unrest after the crime

The unrest after the stabbing in English Southport has been fueled by the Russian-linked site Channel3 Now, writes The Telegraph.

Shortly after the killing of three children, Channel3 Now claimed the perpetrator was a 17-year-old Muslim asylum seeker named Ali Al-Shakati. The information was widely disseminated and was picked up by, among others, the controversial influencer Andrew Tate, as well as by right-wing extremist Tommy Robinson, who played a key role in the violent riots in Southport this week.

But there never was an Ali Al-Shakati, and when it became known that the 17-year-old perpetrator was in fact born in England, the false information had already gained momentum, leading to riots and demands for "mass deportations".

How Channel3 Now got such a central part in the development of events is "very messy and unclear", says Stephen Hutchings, a professor at the University of Manchester. At the same time, he notes that there are many Russian-connected actors who spread false information to destabilize British society.