British society witnessed a week of terrorism acts against immigrants and minorities of the British citizens, especially Muslims, where the far-right spread terrorism across the country, causing a state of fear and anxiety in society.
The source of fear and anxiety was not the large number and strength of the far right, but the presence of highly organised groups that receive external support, amid complete absence of law enforcement forces at some events, or their small numbers at other events. Furthermore, the state of fear was increased by the rumours spread everywhere, in addition to the warnings sent by the police to institutions and communities suggesting that they were left alone without protection, including warning against walking in certain areas except in groups and the need to organise groups in order to face the far right groups, as the police claims that these are cowards who cannot confront the crowds!
Videos documenting the violence of the far right and their looting of stores, storming and burning some hotels, smashing and burning cars, inflicting harm on the residents and police officers and burning their cars confirm two facts: the first is the fact that these people are doing the opposite of what they promote of wanting to take back control of their country to bring a better future, and the second is that those targeted were left alone to face their fate, despite the fact that preventive measures could have been taken at least the day after the violence began.
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It is true that the Prime Minister went out in a televised speech condemning the acts of this group, describing them as a small and isolated group, threatening all those who participated in the acts of sabotage with prosecution and accountability, and promising protection to the victim. However, despite the seriousness of the actions of these extremists, he did not declare them an outlawed organisation, as their acts are pure terrorism.
The big question is where were the security services which took several measures – legally and illegally – in the dangerous events the world and Britain witnessed to confront acts of sabotage and terrorism, thwarting many of them, closing institutions, banning parties and arresting individuals based on publications and statements that were considered calls for violence.
MI5 is known in society as the Big Brother who knows everything. It is known to have thwarted many acts of sabotage and terrorism over decades, thanks to the tools it has which enable it to live among any group planning to undermine the country’s security!
Of course, I am not calling for the MI5 to spy on citizens but, whether you like it or not, espionage and surveillance are at the core of the agency’s work which enables it to make plans and carry out preventive operations against anything that would undermine the country’s security and submit reports to decision-makers in the country to take the necessary measures in the right time.
In general, this apparatus collects information within its jurisdiction and does not need permission from a political or judicial body to operate. If it wants to spy on a person for the purpose of collecting evidence to use in court, it must obtain permission from the competent authority according to the law so that the evidence gathered through the surveillance can be used in the trial. We found that this agency acts freely in dealing with minorities who are stigmatised as terrorists, while it is handicapped when dealing with the far right.
In many cases, the laws on terrorism and organised crimes were activated on the spot without any discussion or debate. Recently, activists in an organisation against arming Israel were arrested under these laws, as well as journalists and activists who got stopped in various places and were forced to hand over their phones and passwords. Those who refused were detained and referred to trial under these laws. These laws have been widely enforced against Muslims for many decades, during which many have suffered from arrest, detention, intimidation and street searches, the vast majority of whom were innocent, and some of whom were infiltrated and incited by informants to follow the path of violence.
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One clear example in this context was last month, when a court sentenced Mr. Anjem Choudary to life imprisonment on charges of belonging to a terrorist organisation and calling for terrorism. According to press reports, the credit for confirming the charges against him goes to MI5, which lived with him for more than two years until the date of his arrest.
Choudary has been under strict surveillance since 2021 after his release from prison and the lifting of the restrictions imposed on him. All his actions were monitored on social media. All his communications and calls were monitored. Even his bedroom had spying devices.
They monitored everything, breathed down his neck, yet Big Brother and the rest of the agencies were unable to arrest the leader of the far-right, Tommy Robinson, who fled the country to avoid attending a High court hearing scheduled on 29 July, 2024, which prompted the court to issue an arrest warrant for him to attend a session scheduled for 28 October, 2024.
According to press reports, Robinson has been enjoying himself since his escape in resorts and restaurants in Cyprus and Greece, from where he continues inciting and spreading rumours, which was a main factor in the spread of the acts of terrorism in the country.
Identifying and describing the elements of the extreme right is the gateway to treating members of society equally, where there is no difference between white and coloured citizens. After all these acts of terrorism, these people cannot be described as mentally ill or simply referred to as thugs and bullies. They are terrorists. Why is it that, when white people commit such serious crimes, there is hesitation in giving the right label for their acts, and having useless discussions take place, but once a coloured person commits such crimes, he and his religious and ethnic background are blamed immediately.
I did not find a single statement by politicians, especially former Interior Minister, Suella Braverman, condemning or denouncing the acts of sabotage carried out by the extreme right, like they attacked the demonstrations condemning the crime of genocide in the Gaza Strip, considering them demonstrations of hatred and anti-Semitism and using other demonising terms. They even pressured the police to ban the demonstrations, and there was a discussion of passing laws to ban these demonstrations under the previous Conservative government.
The dangers posed by the far right’s individuals and leaders are clearly evident and it is not the product of yesterday’s events. This danger has deep roots with internal and external causes that threaten the security of the country, and it requires early intervention by MI5 and the Organised Crime Unit to act as they usually do in such cases.
The press continued sharing the incident of stabbing children in Southport and other subsequent misleading information about the identity of the perpetrator and his religion as reasons behind the acts of terrorism; however using this story as a motive is misleading and it was nothing but an opportunity for the far right to take advantage of and implement its malicious agendas. The evidence for this is that, after the identity and background of the stabber were revealed, the far right never stopped but, rather, continued in a more violent manner.
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Some believe that there are some kinds of flawed laws preventing the prosecution of these groups, but the truth is that the laws on terrorism and organised crime actually apply to the actions of these people. Clearly, these people plan in every demonstration to harm certain groups, and they do not hesitate to attack police forces and cause the most severe losses among them.
What the far right is doing is a kind of pure, organised and pre-planned terrorism, which requires the application of terrorism and organised crime laws that allow MI5 and other specialised agencies to intervene to collect all intelligence information needed to take the necessary preventive measures to prevent attacks, arson and sabotage, and to collect evidence about leaders and individuals to bring them to trial.
It is true that dozens have been arrested, some charged, while others received reduced sentences according to ordinary laws; however the far right was never deterred and remained active, calling for more violent demonstrations, spreading poisonous ideas and incitement through social media platforms. For full deterrence to be achieved, they must be dealt with in the same way other individuals and groups were dealt with and classified as terrorists.
There are figures, known by name to the security services for many years, known for calling for the use of violence and for having external funding, and they incite to spread violence and chaos in the country, yet the security services left them acting freely without taking the usual measures. We strongly believe that these agencies have enough information about the crimes these people commit. However, they were dealt with according to ordinary criminal laws.
So why have the security services not taken the necessary steps to solve the mystery of the terrorist far right organisation? The safety of the country and its people will not be preserved through speeches and threats, but through effective security plans under judicial supervision, follow suit other violent organisations.
The audacity of some pro- far right politicians has reached dangerous levels as they put conditions to end the state of violence and blamed the police for their violent treatment of these extremists, comparing it with the police’s treatment of the demonstrators who came out denouncing the genocide in the Gaza Strip.
The current events do not only threaten a specific community or race, but rather threatens the security of the whole country, and it harms its reputation. Laxity in dealing firmly with it leads to its spreading even wider, especially with the huge amount of calls by the far right to hold gatherings in different places, leading people to close their shops and stay at home in many areas.
Until the government and security services carry out their duties, there must be a strong alliance of all segments of the British society to confront these terrorists. The right response would be to mobilise and call for a million-man march against these fascists, and to never adopt the campaign of intimidation by closing shops and staying at home, as this is simply a victory for a handful of terrorists.
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The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.