“The far right must be opposed wherever they go, or they will continue to breathe the political oxygen which has allowed them to grow thus far. Fascists and neo-Nazis should be made to feel afraid to even show their faces.”
In our Red Weekly Column, Ben Liao reports back from the recent anti-racist counter-demo against the far-right in Epping, writing on the next steps in taking on the rise of fascism and hate in the UK.
There is no denying that we find ourselves in a difficult situation with the rise of the far right. Despite mass public backlash against the violent race riots of Summer 2024, the far right has grown in strength.
Enabled by the seemingly never ending drive rightwards from Starmer’s Labour government, the politics of hate has been legitimised. They want to pander to forces like Reform, not beat them. Opinions and ideas which were shunned as undeniably racist just a few years ago, are now beginning to enter the mainstream.
It is clear that the forces of the far right have learned from their previous escapades and have become more disciplined and organised. This is not something that should be ignored. In Epping, violence and intimidation has been coordinated by known fascists in the Homeland Party which splintered from the neo-Nazi Patriotic Alternative in 2023.
Their forces descended on Epping after an asylum seeker staying at the hotel in question, was charged with sexual assault for allegedly attempting to kiss a 14 year old girl, an allegation he denies. If true, this is of course a disgrace. But, the far right is cynically weaponising the serious issue of violence against women and girls to carry out attacks on refugees. In the case of group based offences, available statistics show that 85% of suspects are white compared to 82% of the population of England and Wales.
Violence against women and girls is a serious and disgusting crime which needs to be tackled properly. It should not be twisted to carry out attacks on other groups of vulnerable people. Anyone still thinking that the far right may actually care about violence against women and girls should remember – two in five arrested in last summer’s riots, supposedly about protecting children – had previously been reported to the police for domestic abuse.
However, their narrative has gained traction with national media outlets like The Telegraph and GB News ignoring these facts and the clear involvement of known neo-Nazis to manufacture consent for the violence. At the Epping demonstration, a GB News presenter was heard deriding anti-racists for calling out fascists from the likes of Homeland, again going with the false line that these are all concerned local families. This shows the advance in acceptance that the far right street movement has achieved in the last year.
However, Epping was billed to be a big moment for them, a major flashpoint. Tommy Robinson said he would be showing up and bringing thousands with him.
But that never materialised. On the day, with only a week’s notice, their forces were greatly outnumbered by around 1,000 anti-racists, organised by Stand Up To Racism. Tommy Robinson didn’t even bother to show his face and has been arrested after a video emerged of an alleged assault.
We should not overstate our hand but Epping shows we are nowhere near accepting defeat.
Epping may be one battle in a larger fight, but it was marked out by the far right as a crucial confrontation, and they lost on the day. Despite a high potential for violence, anti-racists stood tall and showed the far right that we will not be beaten.
Many people said because of the fascist mobilisations, that Epping was a no go area for anti-racist forces. The far right tried to make it like we couldn’t step on ‘their’ turf. They were wrong. We beat them in a battle they set out as a crucial one and did it without even having to throw a punch.
For the left and all anti-racists, this proves an important point. We have to mobilise on the streets against the far right. If we do not do this they will only grow. We have to turn those mobilisations into solid organisational gains but they are the starting point at which we can turn the tide. The far right must be opposed wherever they go, or they will continue to breathe the political oxygen which has allowed them to grow thus far. Fascists and neo-Nazis should be made to feel afraid to even show their faces.
They thought they had us on the run, but Epping proves we have the potential to win many more battles like these.
Winning a flashpoint like Epping means a great deal. It gives hope and morale in a time where both of those things are lacking. It shows people that we are still here and there is still something worth fighting for.
We have to take the fight to the far right because it is our only choice. For many of us there will be no hiding if we fail to effectively oppose them. There can be no room for inaction.
- The Red Weekly Column will appear each Thursday on Labour Outlook from one of our regular socialist contributors.
- Ben Liao is a socialist and anti-racist activist. You can follow him on Twitter/X.
- If you support Labour Outlook’s work amplifying the voices of left movements and struggles here and internationally, please consider becoming a supporter on Patreon.
Racism is not the only issue.
England is already seriously over-populated and immigration was seriously out of control under the Tories.
The essential first step to correct the position should be to return to the EU, the millions of EU citizens who should have left when Brexit removed their right to be here.