Image Credits: Flickr [edited]

Protests, division, xenophobia and racism; we’ve seen a summer of instability unseen since the 70s. Behind the tacky flags zip-tied to lampposts is a movement that, if left unchallenged, will ultimately lead our country down a path of fascism that will do irreversible damage.

From Yemen, to Syria, to Iraq – conflicts in which the US and its NATO allies have played a major role through funding, arming and intervention, billions have been spent on violence, with millions of men, women and children forced to flee from their homes. And instead of being welcomed to Europe with open-arms and a sincere apology for our involvement in war, persecution and corruption in their country, these desperate asylum seekers and refugees were instead treated with hatred and racism.

Key far right political figures such as Nigel Farage, Richard Tice and Tommy Robinson (the latter has been jailed 5 times) have weaponised fear of asylum seekers, using them as justification for the flaws of austerity and capitalism. For example, Tice claimed that ‘whilst hard-working British people are waiting weeks for GP appointments’, ‘illegals get to cut to the front of the queue.’ In reality, the NHS has been chronically underfunded, especially under the Tories 14 year reign, which has subsequently continued under the Starmer government – leading to longer waiting times that cannot be blamed on migrants. Statistically, your doctor is more likely to be a migrant than your fellow patient in the queue (36% of English doctors are non-UK nationals), highlighting Tice’s claims as nothing more than misleading propaganda.

These false claims help keep the power in the hands of the rich, as while asylum seekers cost the average UK taxpayer £2 a year, billionaire tax avoidance costs us £3,000. Of course, individuals such as Elon Musk are going to publicly support (and even give a speech) at these recent xenophobic and racist protests that shift the blame of the UK’s economic struggles off of themselves. 

These recent protests have been nothing more than performative displays of intolerance, incorrectly representing patriotism as an excuse to spread bigotry, misogyny and racism. Tommy Robinson is leading a movement of ‘femo-nationalism’, claiming we need to stop asylum to prevent sexual assault cases, degrading actual domestic efforts to prevent misogyny and sexual harassment through education and grassroots campaigns. If Robinson’s supporters claimed they want to protect women and girls, why have they been videoed chanting misogynistic and highly offensive chants to innocent bystanders during the September 13^th protests?

Despite reports claiming the September 13^th protest was ‘peaceful’, I witnessed the opposite. Racist slogans such as ‘send them home’ were repeatedly chanted, making local non-UK born residents feel unsafe in their own city. Thousands of Robinson supporters left their designated protest zone to march down Embankment. Their aim was to attack the much smaller, yet more peaceful, Stand Up to Racism counter-demonstration that was walking through Trafalgar Square. After being attacked with beer bottles and being completely surrounded down Whitehall Road, we eventually escaped thanks to police escort after three additional hours. It’s ironic considering Robinson claimed the march was a ‘free speech rally’, yet I was attacked for expressing exactly that, my freedom of speech. 

London has always been a city of multiculturalism and diversity, so to see over 100,000 people march for a racist and Islamophobic criminal, while shouting racist chants, is devastating. These people claim not to be ‘far-right’, yet they’re marching in support for nativism (meaning to favour the ‘native’ born population), highlighting their far-right intentions. 

As a society, we need to debunk misinformation regarding immigration and asylum seekers. Correlation is not causation; and while some may claim refugees commit more crimes per capita, research poverty is a stronger indicator of crime, and those of a lower socio-economic background (which statistically, are more likely to be refugees) are more likely to be driven down a route of crime. Context also matters, for example 14,242 foreign nationals were in court in England and Wales in 2024, but only 8,098 were convicted, debunking Robert Jenwick’s claim that 40% of sexual crimes in London last year were from foreign nationals.

Our country is seeing a surge of fascism. Robinson and his far-right supporters won’t stop at refugees, and other minorities will be targeted next unless we, as the next generation of our country, reject fascism and educate the rest of the population on the values of compassion, equality, and solidarity. Only then can we build a society where everyone is free to live without fear, and where our democracy and our future remains strong.