Post-WWI British Far-Right: Main Parties and Ideologies

Riots have intensified in Britain, with hundreds of protesters from the far-right anti-immigration movement participating, following the spread of false information online about an alleged attack by a “radical Muslim” who supposedly carried out a knife attack on three girls on Monday, August 24, during a dance party in Southport.

The protests were led by far-right groups, prompting authorities to arrest dozens of participants and issue warnings against calls from right-wing groups to demonstrate. Mosque leaders in Britain expressed concern over the rising incitement against them, following attacks on a mosque in Sunderland in the northeast and another in Southport (northwest) during clashes between the police and protesters.

The British far-right is a political and ideological movement that began taking shape after World War I, waned after World War II, but reemerged at the end of the 20th century. It embraces ideas hostile to Islam and Muslims, as well as to immigrants, refugees, and multiculturalism in general.

Origins of British Far-Right and Major Parties

According to the Britannica Encyclopedia, the British far-right emerged as a result of the interplay of economic, political, and social factors over centuries, becoming more prominent as a radical current after World War I.

These movements were influenced by fascist ideologies in Italy and Nazism in Germany, contributing to their more organized appearance. One of the most notable figures leading this movement was Oswald Mosley, who founded the British Union of Fascists in 1932, aiming to embody fascist ideologies within the British context.

Far-Right British Ideology

The far-right ideology focuses on racial nationalism and racism, emphasizing “cultural purity.” It is associated with fears of foreign influence on national identity and the economy.

The far-right stresses racial purity as the basis for preserving national identity and targets immigrants, particularly Muslims, portraying them as enemies of Western values. They are blamed for exploiting the welfare system, increasing crime rates, and spreading diseases that had previously been eradicated.

The far-right offers an exclusive identity to its supporters, identifies scapegoats among the political class, and relies on quick solutions such as expelling foreigners and overthrowing political elites. It exploits public anger over political corruption and encourages direct political participation and trust in charismatic leaders.

Far-Right Parties

British Union of Fascists (BUF)

The British Union of Fascists (BUF) is a far-right British political party founded in 1932 by Oswald Mosley, who sought to establish himself as a potential dictator. The party strongly adopted anti-Semitism and a syndicalist economic philosophy, drawing its ideology and approach from the Italian fascist regime and Nazi Germany, both of which provided financial support to the British movement. The party was dissolved shortly after the outbreak of World War II.

In May 1940, under wartime defense regulations allowing the arrest and detention of sympathizers with the enemy, Oswald Mosley and other BUF leaders were imprisoned, and by July of the same year, the organization’s activities were terminated.

After the war, Mosley attempted to revive the BUF as a new group in 1948 but failed to achieve this goal. However, his ideology did not disappear entirely, as the British National Party was established in the early 1960s by John Tyndall in 1982, continuing to influence the political scene.

British National Party (BNP)

The British National Party (BNP) is a far-right political party founded in 1982 by John Tyndall, characterized by its fascist tendencies, with its headquarters in Wigton, Cumbria. Although it had no elected representatives at any level of the UK government, the party peaked in 2000. At that time, it held more than fifty seats in local governments, one seat in the London Assembly, and two Members of the European Parliament.

The Guardian reported that anyone who saw John Tyndall, the former leader of the National Front and BNP, addressing his supporters could not doubt that he saw himself as the chosen leader of the superior race.

The BNP enhanced its policies by focusing on issues such as the end of the Third World, immigration, and the rise of far-right popularity.

English Defence League (EDL)

Tommy Robinson, along with his cousin Kevin Carroll, founded the English Defence League (EDL) on June 27, 2009. The EDL is considered a far-right political movement by its opponents and some media, although the group officially denies having a political agenda and claims to be against racism.

Tommy Robinson’s name frequently appeared in chants used by far-right extremists during library burnings, mosque attacks, and window smashing, according to Middle East Eye.

The declared goal of the movement is to confront the Islamization of England by organizing numerous demonstrations that have attracted hundreds of protesters in various cities across the country since its founding by Tommy Robinson. The party also aims to “keep Britain for the British” by preventing people from other countries from moving to the UK.

UK Independence Party (UKIP)

UKIP was founded in 1993, adopting a populist liberal philosophy focused on the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union. The party originated from the Anti-Federalist League, led by Alan Sked, which opposed the Maastricht Treaty that established the EU.

The party fielded about 200 candidates in the 1997 elections but performed poorly, garnering about 1% of the vote. However, it achieved better results in the 1999 European Parliament elections, winning three seats. The party capitalized on growing anti-immigration sentiment and voter dissatisfaction with the Labour Party, helping it win twelve seats in the European Parliament in 2004.

UKIP performed notably in the 2009 European Parliament elections, securing thirteen seats, surpassing the Liberal Democrats and tying with Labour. In the European Parliament, the party collaborated with Euro-skeptic and anti-immigration parties, such as the French National Front and the Dutch Freedom Party.

In May 2014, the party achieved a historic milestone by winning over 27% of the vote in the European elections and then gained its first elected seat in the UK Parliament in October 2014.

Despite winning around four million votes in the May 2015 general election, translating to only one parliamentary seat, party leader Nigel Farage called for electoral reform. After failing to win a second seat, Farage announced his resignation, but the party’s executive committee refused to accept it. In May 2016, the party made further progress by winning seven seats in the Welsh National Assembly.

Escalation of Riots and Right-Wing Protests in Britain

In the first week of August, Britain experienced a wave of right-wing anti-immigration protests, accompanied by unprecedented riots in several British cities. The violence included attacks by far-right groups on Muslim mosques, hotels, and buildings housing asylum seekers.

The riots were reignited after a murder on July 29, 2024, where three girls aged between six and nine were killed, and eight other children and two adults were injured during an armed attack at a children’s dance party in the coastal town of Southport in northern England.

Police arrested a 17-year-old who carried out the attack, but the incident was quickly exploited to spread misleading information on social media, alleging that the attacker was an Islamic immigrant. This led to a surge in violent anti-Muslim protests in the city.

Right-wing protests fueled by misinformation expanded, prompting the British police to quickly release the facts about the crime and its perpetrator. It was revealed that the attacker, who was born in Wales to Rwandan immigrant parents, was neither an immigrant nor a Muslim, and the crime was not classified as a terrorist act.

The following evening, over a thousand people gathered in a vigil to honor the victims of the Southport crime. However, violence erupted near a local mosque, with crowds throwing stones, Molotov cocktails, and fireworks at the mosque, as well as attacking police cars. These attacks resulted in 27 officers being injured and hospitalized, and a police truck being set on fire.