“Left unchallenged, street fascism colonises public space and creates hostile environments for minorities. Counter-protest defeated the Tommy Robinsons of past eras at Cable Street and in the 1970s and 1980s. It can do so again.”
By James Jackson
Dangerous times. Half-remembering those words being spoken in recent months, I searched the Internet for further information that might trigger my powers of recall. The results were, of course, too overwhelming to narrow down the specific context I wanted. Multiple sources from across the globe and across the political spectrum are warning us that the promised end may well be coming our way. So, it is with a slight sense of wariness, that I join the ranks of the gloomy soothsayers. Climate change, geopolitical instability and the far right generally rank highest on the list of concerns for Labour Outlook readers and it is to the latter that I will turn.
In these times, authoritarian right-wing governments that express open hatred for immigrants and minorities abound. Amit Shah, the Minister of Home Affairs of India, describes Bangladeshi migrants who have lived in India for generations as “termites” and “infiltrators” while anti-Muslim sentiment soars, Victor Orban uses the Hungarian LGBT+ community as his personal punch bag and the United States is, again, run by a man with views adjacent to white nationalism.
It is against this backdrop that far-right riots targeting migrants, Muslims and non-white people erupted last summer. Following recent episodes of anti-migrant disturbances in Epping, Essex, and suggestions that we are about to see similar scenes this summer, many anti-fascist activists have responded with counter-protest.
This is the cue for the recycling of old debates. Should right-wing extremists who take provocative actions be ignored? Will they not, deprived of the response they seek, simply skulk harmlessly away? Besides, these are often physically intimidating, potentially violent people. Shouldn’t we just leave the police to deal with them? I heard these arguments at Labour Party meetings, where local party officers were confidently informed that it was the height of irresponsibility to promote anti-fascist protests.
There is little evidence that fascists retire quietly when they are not challenged. Conversely, fuelled by the sense that public opinion is on their side, the “no response” strategy encourages them, and their actions intensify. Left unchallenged, street fascism colonises public space and creates hostile environments for minorities. Counter-protest defeated the Tommy Robinsons of past eras at Cable Street and in the 1970s and 1980s. It can do so again.
So far, so precedented. However, in Britain 2025, the monster we see in the streets has a more presentable, respectable relative. This family member (whether sibling, parent or cousin will become clearer in time) relentlessly encourages the monster with inflammatory language, reinforced by equally relentless messaging from its social media supporters. It will disown and condemn the monster when convenient, but the shared DNA is transparent and won’t go away. And there’s more… this suited and booted kin of evil has a clear lead in the polls and is currently forecast to form the next government. Unmasking this relationship between mainstream rhetoric and overt, bigoted violence, though a necessary and worthwhile pursuit, is inadequate in the face of the threat we face.
It is a common misconception that electorates support “liberal democracy” for essentially moral reasons. They support such a political consensus because they see it as the best guarantor of material and social advancement. If voters are confident that their children will live wealthier, healthier, happier lives than the previous generation than they are far less likely to seek out alternatives; alternatives that appear far less threatening when the prevailing orthodoxy fails to offer progress. Most of us perceive that we live in a declining country where standards of living have stalled for the majority, public services don’t work properly and the world is a scary place. In these circumstances, nostalgia for a more hopeful past before things started to go awry is all the rage. Equating that downward trajectory with the arrival of immigrants, particularly from former colonies, has proved a compelling narrative.
This appeal to base racism is obviously invidious and absurd. However, it is not enough to expose this myth of a white golden age and the moral depravity of the myth makers. Nor is it enough to offer marginal change that people barely experience in their daily lives. A slightly less debilitating set of crises in the NHS, transport and housing will not be sufficient for a populous weary and jaded from years of austerity. Attempts to alter perceptions through presentation and spin will not convince an audience who have little trust in the established political parties.
Only radical, transformative economic, social and environmental change, delivered by bold politicians undaunted by vested interests, will see off the far right. Without even the hope of meaningful progress, dark forces, with related devils in tow, may yet come for us all.
- James Jackson is an anti-racist activist based in Hackney, London.
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“dark forces, with related devils in tow, may yet come for us all.”
With that final hysterical phrase, James Jackson confirms himself as barmy