Some are calling these far-right riots an outpouring of legitimate anger. They are not | Joe Mulhall

Yesterday, a horde of far-right racists besieged, attacked and tried to burn down a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham. A mob chanted “burn it” and “set it on fire” as they pushed a flaming bin through a shattered door at the base of the building. Terrified asylum seekers looked down through broken windows upon a crowd calling for their deaths. Similar scenes played out later that day at a hotel in Tamworth.

These events made up just a fraction of what is probably the worst week of far-right violence since the second world war. With no central organiser or single group behind this wave of hate, it reflects the nature of the contemporary far right, where trouble on our streets is planned and encouraged by vast decentralised networks of activists online. But while the role of the far right is fundamental, this racist violence has emerged out of an existing climate of prejudice stoked by more mainstream actors.

The troubles started on Tuesday when an angry mob rioted and tried to attack a mosque in Southport . Racist violence followed in Hartlepool the following day, then Sunderland on Friday. Remarkably, things escalated further as the weekend began, with far-right “demonstrations” descending into racist attacks, rioting and looting in Liverpool, Hull, Manchester and Stoke-on-Trent on Saturday. In the past week, Hope Not Hate has monitored more than 30 events involving racism and the far right.

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What we have observed is that, while the trigger for this wave of unprecedented far-right activity was the heartbreaking attack on children in Southport, the planned protests quickly became expressive of wider hostility to multiculturalism, and anti-Muslim and anti-migrant prejudice, as well as a visceral streak of populist anti-government sentiment.

Several incorrect narratives have emerged as these shocking events have unfolded across England. Some initially misattributed the disturbances to the English Defence League (EDL) – an outfit that ceased operating years ago – but this wave of demonstrations reflects the increasingly decentralised nature of the current far right. While activists affiliated with traditional far-right organisations have been involved, most of these protests were planned organically, often by local people, who are plugged into decentralised far-right networks online.

The shared slogans, language and iconography don’t show that these rioters form a cohesive or coordinated group; rather, it means that their organisers and attenders are often active in overlapping online spaces. Though not centrally organised, the participants are drawing from a common wellspring of anger and often recycle the same slogans – in particular “enough is enough”, “stop the boats” and “save our children”.

Modern technology, and social media in particular, enables individuals to collaborate towards common political goals independent of traditional organisational structures. These networks lack formal leaders but rather have figureheads, often drawn from a selection of far-right social media “influencers”.

Far-right politics is not a tumour that hangs off our body politic, something separate. It is an infection within it

Perhaps most prominent among the range of far-right figures involved in spreading misinformation was Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (AKA Tommy Robinson). Though he is currently on holiday in Aiya Napa , he has been posting on X, criticising Islam and saying that rioters in Southport were “ justified in their anger ”. It was no surprise that his name was regularly chanted by rioters at most of this week’s protests as they hurled bricks at mosques and screamed racist slogans.

That this wave of violence was organised across a range of social media platforms is further proof that what happens online has a real effect in our communities and on our streets. A number of the figures posting about the attack in Southport, including Lennon and the infamous misogynist Andrew Tate, who wrongly claimed the attacker was an “illegal migrant” and told people to “wake up”, had previously been deplatformed on X (formerly Twitter) but were given their accounts back after Elon Musk took control of the platform. This has resulted in a far-right movement once again being able to reach millions of people.

Within moments of the initial attack in Southport on Monday, misinformation about the alleged perpetrator spread across the internet: there were false claims that he was a Muslim, motivated by Islam and that he was an undocumented migrant who recently arrived by boat .

However, while “influencers” spread misinformation, we must look at the role of supposedly mainstream actors to understand why so many people were willing to believe these racially motivated lies. This week’s events have emerged out of an existing climate of prejudice that has been fostered for years by elements of our media and supposedly mainstream politicians. Shockingly, even Nigel Farage, now a sitting MP, released a video questioning “ whether the truth is being withheld from us ”.

Related: The far right has moved online, where its voice is more dangerous than ever

Whether it is endless newspaper headlines demonising Muslims and asylum seekers, or then-home secretary Suella Braverman describing the arrival of desperate people by boat as an “invasion ”, all have contributed to stoking the hatred that manifested as violence in recent days.

There has been talk of banning the EDL as a response to this violence. This wouldn’t be effective, not least because the organisation no longer exists. We won’t ban our way out of this problem. Yes, any individuals who have participated in and encouraged this violence should face justice, but in the long term what’s required is concerted work around societal cohesion, and greater responsibility and accuracy from journalists and politicians when discussing immigration, asylum seekers and the Muslim community.

Far-right politics is not a tumour that hangs off our body politic, something separate and distinct. It is an infection within it, and one that can spread. Any effective response to the horrors of this past week must take this into account.

Many people, including media commentators and even politicians, have sought to frame this week of far-right riots as an outpouring of legitimate anger. It is not. There is nothing “legitimate” about trying to burn down a hotel with asylum seekers inside. There is nothing “legitimate” about hurling bricks at mosques or attacking people of colour. This is far-right violence, motivated by a climate of hate and prejudice, and all of those responsible must be held accountable.

• Joe Mulhall is director of research at the anti-fascism organisation Hope Not Hate.

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